Bed of Lies
by brokenbride
Summary: A/U It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That. Rated T for language.
1. The Bet

It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.

Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)

Chapter One - The Bet

_for the life of me  
__i cannot remember  
__what made us think that we were wise  
__and we'd never compromise  
_**The Freshmen - The Verve Pipe**

Finn could not believe what was happening. It was the week after Spring Break and his girlfriend of nearly five months was breaking up with him. Normally this wouldn't be such a big deal, except for the fact that she was doing it quite publicly. They were standing in the middle of the quad and nearly the entire school was watching them.

"Really Finn, it's not me, it's you." Santana's words were practically dripping with venom, as per usual. "You couldn't satisfy me physically, so I found someone who can and does."

Finn looked around them at the many faces of the student body, the same student body that had voted him Senior Class President only six months earlier. No one dared to laugh, they knew better, but he knew that they wanted to. Santana was trying to destroy everything that he had spent years building up and he'd be damned if he let her accomplish her goal.

"Yeah, well I'm not a girl, so I can't really give you just what you want. I hope you can at least be happy with Brittany." Finn knew that if he kept this amicable, that he would come out on top because he was the bigger person.

"Oh, I will be happy with Brittany." Santana's eyes narrowed into slits and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why are you being such a..." She was searching for the right word.

"Decent person?" Finn suggested.

"I was going to say something else. Something that if you had one of, we'd probably still be together." And with that she gave him one last smirk and turned to leave.

Santana's minions, as Finn liked to call them, stood there for a second before turning to follow Santana through the crowd. Brittany took the lead, followed closely by Quinn and Sugar. Finn watched them until he couldn't see their Cheerios uniforms any longer. Once he was sure they were out of sight he threw himself down onto one of picnic tables and let out a long breath.

"Dude, you were a total loser just now." His best friend, Puck's voice came from his left. Finn turned to face him as Puck sat down in the seat next to him. His other friends Sam and Mike sat down across the table.

Everyone except for Puck was looking at him as though his puppy had just been hit by a car, which Finn despised. Puck, on the other hand, was looking at him as though he thought the whole ordeal was hilarious and couldn't wait to laugh.

Finn didn't say anything, just sat there and reveled in what had just happened. Santana had just broken up with him for another girl. What did that even mean? Had he been her beard for the last five months, or was any of what they'd had together real? He shook his head, trying to clear it out; he didn't have the energy for any of this at the moment.

"Dude, are you paying any attention to what I'm saying to you?" Puck's voice was loud and insistent in his ear, pulling him out of his funk.

"Huh?" Finn was confused, clearly Puck had been saying something and he'd been too caught up in his head to pay attention. "What were you saying?"

"Your rep is free fall." Puck repeated, motioning at the crowds of students around them. "Santana might as well have taken your balls and gift wrapped them with a frilly little bow just now. Everyone here thinks you're a joke. You turned the hottest girl in school gay; that's going to be your legend."

"What is your point, Puck?" Finn was growing frustrated and really just wanted the lunch hour to end so he could get to Chemistry.

"Just that your reign as Mr. Popular might be drawing to a very depressing end." Puck almost sounded happy about the whole thing.

Finn looked at Sam and Mike to see if they were thinking the same thing but they were too busy trying to look anywhere else. "You seriously think so? Just because Santana broke up with me?"

"She is the most popular girl in school." Puck replied.

"Whatever. She's totally replaceable." Finn said, not entirely sure where he was going with this, just knowing that he didn't want Puck to be right.

"Seriously? You think that Santana Lopez is replaceable? Now I know that you've lost it." Puck said, rolling his eyes, but something in his tone made Finn think that he was intrigued at the possibility.

"Finn might have a point." Sam said, finally coming to Finn's aid. "After all, after you strip down Santana, what do you have?"

"A smoking hot lesbian?" Puck replied with a smirk.

"I was speaking figuratively, not literally." Sam rolled his eyes and continued. "Underneath her popularity and bitchiness she's just a regular girl."

Finn smiled and pointed his finger at Sam. "Exactly!"

"So what you're saying is that you can take any regular girl and make her into the most popular girl in school?" Puck asked, finally starting to see where everything was going.

"In all intents and purposes." Finn said, shrugging his shoulders. "Given enough time and putting in the right amount of effort, we could make any girl in school popular."

"Popular enough to, say, win Prom Queen?" Puck asked.

Finn could tell there was something going on in his friend's mind, but he couldn't quite tell what it was, but he was willing to go with it. "Yes."

"I feel a bet coming on." Mike said, finally joining in on the conversation. "Although, I don't think it's a good idea."

"You know what, Mike, you're right. This does feel like a bet." Puck said, turning around in his seat to survey the crowds of people around them. "What do you say, Hudson? Want to make this interesting?"

Finn honestly didn't like the idea of making a bet with Puck, as they never seemed to go quite as planned when he did. But he was still hurting over everything with Santana and the whole thing seemed pretty innocent. After all, all he was doing was taking some random girl and making her popular. The whole thing was practically community service.

"I think so. You pick the girl, and I'll make her into our next Prom Queen." Finn said, finally deciding to go with the bet.

"What are the stakes?" Mike asked, although he still didn't like the whole situation.

"Bragging rights. Plus, I don't think Finny here can pull this off." Puck replied, his words only making Finn want to do this even more.

The next thing he knew they were surveying the crowd, looking for random girls.

"What about her?" Mike asked, pointing towards a short Asian girl with purple streaks in her long black hair. She was sitting at a nearby table with a boy in a wheelchair. "She's pretty."

"I don't know. I've heard she's got a stutter. That could be hard to work around." Finn replied, giving her a short glance before moving on.

"What about her?" Sam was next, pointing towards a larger African American girl who was talking animatedly with a small group of students.

"That won't work." Puck said quickly. After noticing everyone's stares on him he elaborated with "She's too much of a diva. She's in my American History class and she's more work than she's worth."

"Well, this is looking to be a bust then." Finn said and started to get up, but suddenly Puck's arm was on his and he stopped to look at his friend.

"I've found your girl." Puck said, pointing across the quad to a small brunette who was rushing up the steps, trying to get back into the main building.

Finn followed his gaze, his smile dropping completely off of his face. "You can't be serious. A stutter I can handle; a diva I can manage. But Rachel Berry? She's the biggest loser in school. She's been slushied by nearly every jock in school." Excluding himself, but he wasn't going to admit that.

"Sorry, but a bet is a bet." Puck stood up, clapping Finn on the shoulder as he walked away. "Good luck making Rachel Berry into the Prom Queen though."

* * *

a/n: I know the chapter is short, but this is probably as long as they'll be. Normally I'm all about the 3,000+ words, but I want to keep these short and to the point. I don't think this story will be too long, probably around 10-15 chapter or so. I was just having a bit of late 90s early 2000s movie nostalgia, and was itching to write. I don't know if your fingers are itching to review or not...but I hope you do! :)

a/n/n: The music (the lyrics at the beginning of each chapter and the music from the Glee Club) will be from the 90s to the mid 2000s. The title is taken from Bed of Lies by Matchbox Twenty. :)


	2. The Encounter

It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.

Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)

* * *

Chapter Two - The Encounter

_miss guarded heart  
__miss play-it-smart  
__miss if you're gonna use that line  
__you better not start  
_**Miss Independent - Kelly Clarkson  
**

The bell was about to ring and Rachel was determined to make it to her next class before the bell rang and the students of McKinley High crowded the halls, making her walk to class close to unbearable. She had lost count of the number of slushies that had been thrown in her face in the halls, leftover from whatever jock had made the trip across the street to the convenience store where they were sold. Somehow, by cutting her lunch short by five minutes she'd been able to avoid getting slushied for a few weeks and she honestly liked the reprieve.

She was had just gathered her books, closed her locker and was turning to walk to class when she collided with a solid body. Looking up she noticed that it was Finn Hudson, Senior Class President and one of the most popular guys in school. Also the cutest guy in school, but she'd never admit that to anyone, save her best friend, Blaine Anderson.

Rachel took a quick step back and her eyes were quickly drawn to Finn's hands, searching for a slushy. She was relieved when she saw that he was empty handed. "Sorry for running into you." She said quickly and side stepped around him, making her way down the halls once again.

She kept her pace quick but was surprised when she looked to her right and saw that Finn was walking next to her. Her step faltered for a moment, but she shook it off and kept walking. Still he was following her, and looking quickly at his face it looked as though he wanted to ask her something.

Sighing, she stopped just short of the classroom she was walking to. "Can I help you?" She asked, turning towards him. "I already apologized for running into you earlier."

When he didn't say anything for nearly a minute she shrugged her shoulders and turned to walk into the classroom.

"I like your sweater." Finn's voice stopped her in her tracks. Mostly because it was the last thing she'd expected to hear from the most popular guy in school. No one liked her sweaters, no one but her.

Turning around and looking at Finn closely, she determined that he had to be making fun of her. This was quite unusual, as it was usually his buddy, Puck who picked on her. Puck had the highest number of slushie hits out of all the jocks in school. Second on the list would have to be Karofsky, but that was beside the point.

"Excuse me?" She asked, thinking maybe she'd just not heard him correctly.

"I like your sweater." Finn repeated, his mouth quirking up into a half-smile. "The whole carrousel horse thing is pretty cool."

"Are you serious?" Rachel asked, finding herself more insulted than complimented. No one thought her sweaters were cool. Blaine had been on her for years, trying to make her get rid of the damn things.

"Yes." Finn said, keeping it short.

"What are you playing at?" Rachel asked, looking around again, noticing how the halls were starting to fill up with more students trying to beat the bell, but still none of the jocks were around.

"I'm sorry, what do you mean?" Finn asked, confusion clear in his voice.

"The most popular guy in school just came up to me in the hallway of school, told me my carrousel horse sweater is cool and now he's the one confused?" Rachel wondered out loud, then turned her attention back to Finn. "Do you seriously think I'm stupid or something. I don't know what kind of game that you're trying to play here, but you can take it somewhere else."

And with that she turned around and started to make her way towards her class. She only made it a few steps before a sticky icy substance connected sharply with her face. She stood there, arms at her side in shock for a moment before turning to face her assailant. Dave Karofsky was already walking away, the empty slushie cup dangling from his fingers. "Now you're Rachel Blue-Berry!" He laughed, high fiving the other football jock next to him as they walked away.

Rachel had an extra shirt in her locker, but at the moment she didn't want to have to walk all the way down the halls in her current state. She turned and walked the shorter distance to the girl's bathroom, which wasn't too far away. She didn't get very far when Finn's hand shot out and caught her by the arm.

"Are you okay?" He asked, and she had to give him credit, because he actually looked concerned.

"I'm fine." She kept her voice short and clipped. She shook his arm off of hers and stalked into the bathroom. Stopping short she thought better and turned around to face him, ever so conscious of the fact that her face was probably a shade of blue. "Did you know they were going to do that? Were you just trying to stall me?"

She could tell by the look on his face that he hadn't expected Dave to slushie her, but she had to know if he'd been in on the whole thing.

"I didn't know." He said, and she believed him.

"Could you do me a favor then?" Rachel asked, unsure as to why she was even asking him to do her any favors.

"Sure, anything."

"Could you please go find my friend, Blaine?" She asked, turning toward the bathroom again. "Just tell him what happened. He'll know what to do." And with that she walked into the bathroom, trying to keep what was left of her dignity intact.

No more than five minutes later Rachel was relieved when Blaine knocked on the bathroom door. She was the only person inside, so she'd quickly let him in. She'd managed to get most of the slushie off of her face, but her hair was pretty much ruined and her shirt was sticky and wet.

"Rachel, are you okay? And why did Finn Hudson of all people come and tell me to find you?" Blaine asked, moving to sit on one of the sinks along the wall.

"I'm fine. Did you bring my extra clothes?" She asked, completely ignoring his question about Finn, because she honestly didn't know how to answer.

He quickly held up the plastic bag that he had brought in with him, dangling it from his fingers. "You can have them once you tell me why Finn Hudson, aka the hottest, most popular guy in school, came up to me in the hallway and said you needed me."

"That's low." Rachel muttered, giving Blaine a small glare. "But if you must know, he came up to me in the hall and started talking to me. He complimented me on my sweater actually."

"So he obviously doesn't have much for taste." Blaine said giving Rachel's sweater a once over.

"Hey, I like my sweaters." Rachel said, defending her wardrobe for what felt like the millionth time. "Now, I answered your question. Can I have my clothes?" She held her hand out impatiently, tapping her penny loafers on the hard tile floor.

"Fine." Blaine replied and handed the clothes over to Rachel, who took them and retreated into one of the stalls to change. "Why on earth would Finn Hudson come up to you though. Not that you're not an awesome person to talk to. It just doesn't mesh well."

"I have no idea." Rachel replied, her voice muffled by the door. "But I hope that's the last time he decides to talk to me." Even though a small part of her hoped that it wasn't.

* * *

a/n: Blaine goes to McKinley. Kurt goes to Dalton. It's a little backwards, but it works better this way. Kurt is still Finn's brother though. Just thought I'd clear that up, just in case anyone was confused. Please don't forget to review! :)


	3. Try, Try Again

It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.

Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)

* * *

Chapter Three - Try, Try Again

_you can be my punk rock princess  
__i would be your garage band king  
__you can tell me how you just don't fit in  
__and how you're going to be something  
_**Punk Rock Princess - Something Corporate  
**

Finn was frustrated. He hadn't expected Rachel to be so defensive when he had tried talking to her. Of course, he had also panicked and said the first thing that came into his mind. Carousel horses are cool? Not really.

The last bell of the day had just rang though, and trying to find Rachel in the crowds of McKinley was like trying to find a needle in a hay stack. Still, after the halls had pretty much cleared, Finn still hadn't been able to find her. He was about to give up entirely when something else caught his eye. Blaine...something. He knew that Blaine was supposed to be Rachel's best friend, so maybe he knew where Rachel was.

Blaine was obviously late for something though, because he was nearly running down the hall, away from Finn. Finn sighed and moved to follow him.

Just a few moments later Finn was standing outside of a classroom trying to decide whether he should go inside. He was fairly certain that Rachel was inside, but he was even more certain that Glee Club practice was happening at the moment.

Finally deciding to just go for it, Finn took a step forward and opened the door. He realized too late that he didn't really have any good reason for being there. Unfortunately everyone had already turned to look at him as he walked in. The teacher he recognized from his Spanish class, Mr. Shuester or something.

"Can we help you, Finn?" Mr. Shue asked, standing up from his stool in the middle of the room.

"Uh..." Finn said, trying to think quickly. "I was wondering if I could audition." What the hell did he just say? He was trying to save his reputation and now he was auditioning for Glee Club? _Fuck._

Mr. Shue gave him a strange look but then quickly recovered. "We're just about to go to Regionals, but I think we could use you. Can you sing and dance?"

"Dance?" Finn asked, confused. He though Glee Club was just about singing together in a group. He looked around at the other students in the class, recognizing some of them, but others were strangers to him. He did notice though that the two girls that Sam and Mike had pointed out in the quad earlier were in the class. Rachel was there too, sitting next to Blaine and some other guy who looked like a complete douche.

"We perform at competitions where we both sing and dance. It's quite competitive." Mr. Shue answered Finn's question.

"I'm not a good dancer, but I'm a pretty good singer." Finn replied, stepping further into the room.

"Well, why don't you give it a shot?" Will asked, motioning for Finn to move to the center of the room as he sat back down on his stool. "What song would you like to sing? Our piano man knows just about everything, as does the jazz band."

"What about Learn to Fly by The Foo Fighters?" Finn asked, looking over to the band. They nodded their heads and moments later the music started flowing.

Finn took a deep breath, once again asking himself if this was really worth it. Then he realized the look on Puck's face when he won the bet would be worth enough. Then without another thought, he began singing.

"Run and tell all of the angels, this could take all night  
Think I need a devil to help me get things right  
Hook me up a new revolution 'cause this one is a lie  
We sat around laughin' and watched the last one die

Yeah, I'm lookin' to the sky to save me  
Lookin' for a sign of life  
Lookin' for something to help me burn out bright  
I'm lookin' for a complication  
Lookin' 'cause I'm tired of lyin'  
Make my way back home when I learn to fly high

I think I'm dyin' nursing patience  
It can wait one night  
I'd give it all away if you give me one last try  
We'll live happily ever trapped if you just save my life  
Run and tell the angels that everything's alright

I'm lookin' to the sky to save me  
Lookin' for a sign of life  
Lookin' for somethin' to help me burn out bright  
I'm lookin' for a complication  
Lookin' 'cause I'm tired of tryin'  
Make my way back home when I learn to fly high  
Make my way back home when I learn to…

Fly along with me, I can't quite make it alone  
Try to make this life my own  
Fly along with me, I can't quite make it alone  
Try to make this life my own

I'm lookin' to the sky to save me  
Lookin' for a sign of life  
Lookin' for somethin' to help me burn out bright  
I'm lookin' for a complication  
Lookin' 'cause I'm tired of tryin'  
Make my way back home when I learn to…

I'm lookin' to the sky to save me  
Lookin' for a sign of life  
Lookin' for something to help me burn out bright  
I'm lookin' for a complication  
Lookin' 'cause I'm tired of tryin'  
Make my way back home when I learn to fly  
Make my way back home when I learn to fly  
Make my way back home when I learn to…"

Finn was pretty sure he'd just blown the whole thing out of the water. He knew that he was a decent singer, and the song he'd just done fit him just right. Of course, he'd never admit that he loved singing as much as he loved playing ball. He didn't say anything though as he turned to face Mr. Shue, waiting to hear his fate.

"That was great, Finn. I'll talk everything over with the group and I'll let you know tomorrow if you're in." Mr. Shue stood up and clapped Finn on the shoulder.

Finn didn't want to wait until tomorrow, but he knew that it was better not to push his luck. Tomorrow he'd be in the club and he'd be able to get close to Rachel without looking like a creeper. Giving the group a small smile and a wave he turned and made his way out the door.

* * *

a/n: I picked the song "Learn to Fly" because it fits with my musical timeline and because I think that it's partly how Finn is feeling in this story. He's trying to find his place, and he might actually be finding it without even knowing it. Please don't forget to review...! :) p.s. Sorry this is so short...

a/n/n: I have been updating like crazy...every two days is a little out of control (although I don't think you guys really mind). While I already have the next five chapters written (and the next few after that mapped out), I think I'm going to take a step back and pace myself a bit more. I'll try to update at least once a week...maybe twice. I'd hate to get too far ahead of myself and then get a bad case of writers block or something, cause that would be bad.


	4. Family Time is Fun Time

It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.

a/n: Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed! You don't know how awesome you are to me! And without further ado, here is Chapter Four…giving you a small glimpse into Finn's home life.

Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time and play with them. :)

* * *

Chapter Four - Family Time is Fun Time

_living in the shadow  
__of someone else's dream  
__trying to find a hand to hold  
__but every touch felt cold to me  
_**Shadow - Ashlee Simpson**

"What do you mean; you tried out for the Glee Club?" Burt asked, setting down his fork and turning to face Finn at the dining room table.

Finn swallowed and shrugged his shoulders like the whole thing was no big deal. He knew that Burt was going to make a big deal out of this, so Finn figured if he played it off like it wasn't a big deal then Burt wouldn't think anything of it.

He'd been wrong.

"It'll look good on my college applications." Finn said, using the excuse that he and Kurt had come up with earlier in the afternoon.

"Scouts don't care about your extracurricular activities. They care about the plays that you make and the points that you score." Burt said, brushing off Finn's words.

"This isn't going to get in the way of baseball." Finn said. He'd already checked the Glee Club's schedule and his baseball schedule. There was little room for error, so he'd be able to pull off both.

"You say that now, but wait until the season gets more and more intense. You're supposed to be playing ball and trying to get a scholarship, but you're too busy singing show tunes and dancing around on stage." Burt said, his voice hard.

"Why is it such a big deal that Finn is in Glee?" Kurt asked, finally growing tired of his father's bickering. "I'm in The Warblers, and you don't seem to care about that at all."

Finn gave Kurt a thankful glance. He was really glad to have Kurt in his corner, even if he went to another school.

"That's different." Burt said, although Finn could see that his argument was becoming flawed.

"How is it different?" Kurt asked, folding his arms on the table and leaning towards Burt.

"It just is." Burt said, and Finn knew then that they had won this battle. "Look, you can be in Glee if you want, Finn. Just don't let it interfere with baseball."

"I won't let it." Finn said simply and went back to eating. Part of him wished that his mother didn't work the late shifts so often. She was always more supportive of him.

The rest of dinner went by without another word. Finn excused himself to the kitchen and put his dishes in the sink. He turned around with every intention of going to his room to listen to music and finish his report for his US History class, but ran into Kurt instead.

"Okay, so I know we already talked about this earlier, but I want to know why you decided to join Glee." Kurt asked, reaching around Finn to place his dishes in the sink.

"I told you earlier, it's going to look good on my college applications. Plus, you also know that I don't want to play ball for the rest of my life, so it's good to get some other extracurricular activities under my belt, just in case I decide I want to go that way." Finn had thought of his excuse pretty hard, and this was really the best he'd been able to come up with. He knew it would work with Kurt though because Kurt was the only person who knew that Finn didn't want to play college ball.

"I don't know." Kurt said, narrowing his eyes at Finn. "You want more extracurricular activities, you join at the beginning of the year. There's something else going on, but you're not telling me."

Finn cursed inwardly, he should have known that Kurt would have been able to see through him. "There's nothing else going on." Finn said, though his words held little conviction.

"Fine, don't tell me." Kurt said, throwing his hands in the air. "Just promise me it's not one of Puck's stupid little games again."

Finn wished he could tell him no, that it wasn't. "I can't." He said, looking down at the ground.

"I don't know why you hang out with that neanderthal. He's really the epitome of a Lima loser." Kurt didn't try to hide the disgust in his voice.

"I don't know why either." Finn said honestly. Puck was his oldest friend, but the more he thought about their friendship, the more he wondered why they were even friends in the first place. "I guess we just have a lot of history."

"If you're not careful, that history is going to ruin your future." Kurt said before he turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Finn to his thoughts.

Finn stood there in the kitchen after Kurt left, thinking over what his stepbrother had said. He couldn't quite figure out how this whole bet with Puck was supposedly going to ruin his future, but Kurt sure seemed to think it would. Honestly, the more he thought about the bet, the more he wanted to get out of the whole thing, but it was too late. Puck would never let him live it down if he backed out, and he was sure that the whole thing wasn't as big of deal as he was making it out to be.

He was pretty sure he was just doing Rachel Berry a favor anyway, and he was sure that once everything was said and done, he'd be able to convince her of that. He smiled to himself, content with the idea that he wasn't doing anything wrong.

* * *

a/n: I'm sooo sorry for how short this chapter is. I tried to fit as much in as I could, but if I'd included more I'm afraid it would have lost most of it's purpose. Also, I must say that Burt in this story is nothing like the Burt on the show.

Please Review! :)


	5. Tenacious

It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.

Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)

a/n: I had a question about why Finn is playing baseball instead of football. The reasoning is because football season typically ends in the fall, while my story is set in the spring. He does play football, but it's not football season. He also played basketball, but that's beside the point. All I could think of for him to play was baseball, which should be in season. Finn is an extremely athletic guy, which is why Burt wants him to focus on sports. Also, I think that this fic is going to be a bit longer than I had originally planned. :)

* * *

Chapter Five - Tenacious

_i know exactly who you are  
__i know as far as you may go  
__but you're trying too hard  
__yeah, you're trying too hard  
__and it shows  
_**Fast As You Can - Liam and Me  
**

Rachel couldn't believe what was happening. In the course of one week her life had gone from somewhat normal, albeit slightly secluded, to a bit of a disaster. And she could pinpoint exactly when it had changed. It had been when Mr. Shue had decided to let Finn Hudson join the Glee Club.

That had been a week ago, and for some reason Finn seemed to make it his mission to talk to her. At least he had graduated from complimenting her sweaters, but his latest attempts weren't much better. So she'd taken to sitting in the front row with Tina and Blaine next to her, avoiding Finn at all costs.

Today was Friday though, which meant that as soon as Glee was over she'd be able to go home and post a few new videos to her YouTube account.

"Alright guys!" Mr. Shue was ecstatic as he walked into the classroom. "It's almost the weekend! We've got two weeks until Regionals, and then another two weeks until Prom!"

Rachel smiled and clapped her hands together. She was very happy with the selections they had made for their Regionals line up. Of course she also realized that Mr. Shue would probably switch the whole thing up before the competiton, he had a tendency to do just that. She was almost certain that they had the thing in the bag though...if only they could get Finn to stop messing up the dance moves.

"What does Glee have to do with Prom?" Finn asked from the back row.

"Well Principle Figgins has asked the Glee Club to perform again this year. You're each going to do at least two numbers, which will leave you plenty of time to dance. It'll also leave you plenty of time to rally up more votes for Prom King, Finn." Will answered with a smile.

Rachel snuck a quick glance back at Finn to see his reaction, which was borderline hilarious. He looked like he'd just eaten a lemon. She figured he wouldn't be too pleased with having to perform in front of the rest of the school.

Rachel smiled and stood up, turning to face the rest of the class. "I, personally, am very excited for Regionals next week. Even though some people" she sent a pointed look in Finn's direction "aren't quite ready yet."

"I'm glad that you brought that up. Finn and I were talking about his dance moves and we decided that he would need a little extra work. Since you know the routine backwards and forwards Rachel, I think you should spend a little extra time and help Finn out." Mr. Shue said, his face breaking out into a wide smile.

Rachel stopped dead in her tracks, turning her attention back to Finn who had a smirk on his face. Seriously? This guy had to be up to something. She was about to say something along the lines of 'hell no', but Blaine got there first.

"I could teach him." Blaine said, shooting up from his chair. Rachel knew that he was just doing this for her, so she shot him a thankful look as she moved to sit back down.

"That won't work." Mr. Shue said before moving to the middle of the classroom. "Rachel, you and Finn should work together because I've decided that the two of you should do the duet."

"I was supposed to do the duet with Rachel!" Blaine nearly shouted.

"I know that, Blaine. But I think it'd be an interesting change-up and I think it's just what we need to take us right to the top." Will replied, before turning to the whiteboard, signifying that the discussion was over.

Rachel couldn't believe what had just happened. Somehow in the past few minutes she'd lost her free time and her duet partner. Still, if Mr. Shue thought it would somehow give them an edge, she'd give it a shot. Of course, if anything happened to get in the way of them winning, she'd pitch a huge fit.

The rest of the class went by with no disruptions. As soon as Mr. Shue dismissed them though, Rachel headed straight for her locker, ready to get her homework and go home.

Rachel was just about to walk out the doors of the high school when she heard her voice being called from down the hall. She smiled and turned around, thinking it might be Blaine, but her smile quickly dropped when she saw that it was Finn. Thinking if she just kept walking, she'd be able to lose him she almost kept walking away. Then she remembered that she had to work with him, so she figured she'd wait and see what he wanted.

"What do you need Finn?" She asked as soon as he was within hearing distance.

He didn't say anything to her until he was next to her though. "I just thought that since we've only got two weeks to get me ready for Regionals that you'd want to start right away. I don't know if you've noticed or not, but I kind of suck."

Without meaning to Rachel laughed out loud. "You're not that bad. You just have horrible coordination."

"This is why I think we should start working on my dance skills. Plus, we should probably find a song for our duet." Finn smiled, leaning on the wall with his hand.

"Mr. Shue will probably pick out our song." Rachel said quickly. "But if you want to work on your dancing, I've got some time now if you want to go work on it in the auditorium."

"Sounds great." Finn said with a smile.

"Alright, let's go." Rachel said, turning around and walking towards the auditorium. It was going to be a long two weeks.

* * *

a/n: Well, there you have it. Finn has four weeks to make Rachel Berry into the Prom Queen. Next chapter is them getting to know each other. From there on Finn will start working on making the "magic" happen. Please review. :)


	6. Setting It Up

It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.

Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)

* * *

Chapter Six - Setting It Up

_it's hard to see you dreaming  
you hide inside yourself  
i wondered what you're thinkin'  
and everything you're chasing  
_**All Eyes on Me - Goo Goo Dolls  
**

Finn was exhausted. He and Rachel had been practicing in the auditorium for just a little over an hour and he was no closer to nailing the routine as he had been when they'd started. Finally deciding that they'd done enough for the day he made his way over to the edge of the stage and sat down.

"I'm never going to get it." He said with a sigh, looking out at the empty seats.

"Yes, you will. It's just going to take a little time." Rachel said, taking a seat next to him. "You're actually getting better, you just can't tell because you're so hung up on getting it perfect."

"You're just saying that because you don't want to seem like a bad teacher." Finn said, turning to look at her. "I'm not good at this stuff. And now Mr. Shue wants us to sing a duet. It almost feels like he's setting me up to fail."

"Wow, Finn, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were insecure." Rachel said, and he could hear the contempt in her voice. "If you don't think you're any good at this then why did you even join the Glee Club?"

Finn didn't say anything. It's not like he could just come out and say that he'd joined so he could get closer to her, so he could win his bet with Puck. He also knew that a flat out lie would be too crazy, so he went with what little truth he could give her. "I love music. I've been playing the drums for years and my brother, Kurt said I was a decent singer. Plus, I could use some more extra curricular activities on my transcript."

Rachel nodded her head like she understood exactly what he was saying. "Aren't you worried about your reputation?"

"I think my rep can stand me being in Glee Club. After all I am the quarterback of the football team and the best pitcher McKinley has had in years. At least that's what my step-father tells me." Finn smiled. "Plus, maybe I don't really care all that much about being popular." Okay, so maybe he was telling a couple of lies, but the moment he said it, he almost believed it himself.

"Everyone cares about being popular." Rachel said, a hint of sadness in her voice. Finn turned to look at her and she gave him a small smile.

"Even you?" Finn asked, not able to stop himself.

"Of course. I want to be famous. Broadway, tv, movies, record deals...the whole package. That's my dream. You have to be popular to accomplish the big things like that. Sure, I've got the talent, but if no one notices me, then what's the use of having it?"

Finn wasn't sure what to say. Rachel wanted to be popular, which was probably going to help with his plan. "I think once people hear you sing, they'll have to notice you." He said, placing his hand lightly on top of hers and giving it a small squeeze.

Rachel laughed and threw herself back onto the stage, lying down with her feet still hanging off the edge. "This is so strange."

"What is so strange?" Finn asked, chuckling a little to himself as he watched Rachel try to stop laughing.

"You're Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, you should be hanging out with your "awesome" friends and being doing whatever it is that you do." Rachel said, using air quotes for the word awesome. "And yet you're here, consoling me in an empty auditorium. This is all very surreal."

"Of course it's real." Finn said, not understanding what she meant.

"Surreal." Rachel said, sitting back up and facing Finn once again. "I meant this is all really bizarre. We're not supposed to be friends, that's just not how the social system of this school works."

Finn had to give her that. This was very strange, and if he hadn't arranged the whole thing, he knew that he would never have been in this situation.

"Well, since we're done here I think I'll just start heading home." Rachel said, standing up and dusting off her clothes. "Do you want to practice again Monday after Glee?"

"Sure." Finn said, standing up also. He wasn't sure if he could wait until Monday to see her. He was already a week down and he needed to find a real way in, so he could get Rachel mingling with the right people. "Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? I thought you just said Monday?" Rachel asked, giving him a confused look.

"I did say Monday for practice. I was wondering if you were doing anything tomorrow." Finn asked, putting on his signature half smile.

"I don't have any plans." Rachel answered, although Finn could tell she was reluctant to tell him.

"Good. Then you can go bowling with me. It's the best way I know to blow off steam, and I need to do just that. Hell, it might even help me with my dancing." Finn said with a shrug.

"Why are you asking me?" Rachel asked.

"We're going to spend a lot of time together for the next few weeks, so I figured it'd be good to get to know each other away from the whole Glee thing." Finn replied as though it were no big deal.

Rachel was quiet for a while and Finn was almost certain that she was going to blow him off, citing some strange girly excuse like her period or something.

"Yeah, I think I could do that. Go bowling anyway." Rachel said, even though he could tell she was stepping out of her comfort zone.

"Awesome." Finn said as they turned to walk out of the auditorium. "How do you feel about pepperoni pizza?"

* * *

a/n: Rachel is a little out of character at times. Of course, when you've got some many people telling you that you suck (ie, the popular kids and jocks), sometimes it's hard to believe that you don't. That's high school for ya though. Don't forget to review! :)


	7. Strikes and Strike Outs

It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.

Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)

* * *

Chapter Seven - Strikes and Strike Outs

_she's blood, flesh and bone  
no tucks or silicone  
she's touch, smell, sight, taste and sound  
but somehow i can't believe that anything should happen  
__i know where i belong and nothing's gonna happen  
_**She's So High - Tal Bachman  
**

Rachel sucked at bowling. Like, really sucked. Of course she'd never been good at any sport. Sure she was an amazing dancer, but that was something that just came natural and with years and years of practice. Bowling was another one of those sports like basketball and badminton that she just sucked at. Even though she was sucking it up on the lanes, she was still having a pretty awesome time. Something she was reluctant to admit.

Currently she was sitting in a booth away from the lanes, having decided to take a break to eat. The booth, which was a circular booth, was cozy and put off in the corner. So she and Finn had plenty of privacy.

"This pizza is really good." She said happily, taking the pepperonis off and laying them down on her plate.

"If it's so good then why are you dismembering it?" Finn asked, reaching across the table to snatch a pepperoni off her plate to eat.

"I'm not a big fan of processed meat, which pepperoni is." Rachel said shrugging her shoulders like it wasn't that big of a deal, which it wasn't to her.

"So you're a health nut?" Finn asked as he reached over and scooped up the remainder of the pepperonis on her plate.

"Caring about what I put into my body doesn't make me a nut. In fact, I would argue that it makes me quite the opposite." Rachel said quickly. "Plus, we can't all be gifted with an iron stomach."

Finn laughed at that, throwing his head back and really letting go. "It's a gift, I'll give you that." He said once he had calmed down enough to speak. "One time Puck and I got into a competition to see who could eat the most hot sauce before chickening out. I beat that punk like the little bitch he is."

"I bet you still had to pay for that later though." Rachel said, her face turning into a grimace as she imagined the intense heartburn that would have to accompany all that hot sauce.

Finn laughed again and patted his stomach. "Nope. Iron stomach, remember?"

Rachel had to laugh at that.

"Well, well look what we have here!" A strangely familiar voice came from over Rachel's shoulder. She turned to see who it was and groaned; Finn's friends, with Puck in the front of the group. Her eyes immediately flew to his hands to check for a slushie; they were empty. She'd known that this was too good to be true. Did Finn just invite her out to humiliate her in a new way? She looked back at Finn and the thought flew out of her mind, he didn't look happy to see them either.

"Crap." Finn said quietly before leaning in close to Rachel. "Well, if we're going to be friends, we're going to have to deal with them sooner or later." As soon as he was done talking though, Puck and the rest of Finn's friends were already next to the booth.

"This looks cozy." Puck said, shoving his way into the booth next to Finn, causing Finn to move further towards the middle of the booth. Rachel did the same, allowing room for the rest of the group to sit down since they'd already clearly invited themselves into the booth. It was a tight fit, but they all fit in. Puck, Quinn, and Sam were next to Finn, while Mike, Brittany and Sugar were sitting next to Rachel.

"What are you doing here, Puck? This isn't really your scene." Finn asked, his voice calm, but his eyes were shooting daggers at his friend.

"A little birdie told me you were bowling today, so I thought I'd come and see my best friend." Puck said, a smug grin clear on his face. "I'm hurt that you didn't invite me. Then again, this almost looks like a date."

Rachel, who had been taking a drink of water, nearly choked at that statement.

"You should be careful, I almost drowned in a glass of water once." Brittany said quickly.

Rachel tried to see if the girl was being serious or not, but then decided that she was. "Uh, thanks. I'll be more careful next time."

Brittany gave her a bright smile. "You're welcome. I always get such a rush when I save a life."

Rachel wasn't sure what to say, so she just decided to give the blonde a smile instead. She turned her attention back to Puck, who had decided to turn his attention to whatever was left of their pizza. She felt a nudge on her left though and turned her attention to Finn.

"Sorry for Puck. He's kind of a douche." He whispered into her ear.

That was the understatement of the year. She wondered if Finn knew that out of all the jocks in the school, that Puck was the one who had slushied the most, and that when he did slushie her, he always aimed for her chest and not her face. She thought about whispering something back to Finn, but then thought better of it.

"So are you guys interested in another game?" Sam asked from the edge of the booth.

"I think we were going to play one more game before we called it a day. I think Rachel's hoping to finally break 40." Finn laughed, once more nudging her in the arm.

Rachel had to laugh at the joke. It was true; so far she'd only barely gotten over a 35.

"Do you care if we join you?" Sam asked again.

Rachel was impressed, he was being very polite. Of course for some reason Sam never seemed to fit in with the rest of the group. Although it seemed like Puck was the only person in the entire group who had ever slushied her.

"It's fine with me, if it's fine with you." Finn said, turning to look at Rachel.

She was on the spot. If she said no then she'd be a bitch, so of course she had to say yes. "Yeah, it's fine."

* * *

Thirty minutes later the game was over and, of course, Finn had won. Rachel had been pleasantly surprised though to find that she didn't have the lowest score. That honor went to Sugar, with a score of 34.

"Finn, I will never understand how you play so well." Mike said as they all made their way to the parking lot.

"It's just talent, buddy. Pure talent." Finn laughed, puffing up his chest as he spoke. Rachel had to force herself not to roll her eyes.

"So are you guys coming to Mike's party tonight?" Quinn asked, looking to Rachel.

"I don't know about Finn, but it's not really my kind of scene." Rachel said, confused as to why Quinn would have asked her in the first place.

"Are you kidding?" Quinn asked, putting an arm around Rachel's shoulders. "It'll be fun."

"Yeah, you should totally come." Puck said quickly, shooting Finn a look that Rachel couldn't figure out. "Get to know us a little better."

Rachel almost laughed, she was pretty sure she knew them well enough as it was. Still, she knew that she'd never be able to get them off her back if she didn't give them the answer they wanted to hear.

"Okay, I'll come." She said quickly, putting on her best acting smile.

"Excellent." Puck said as they finally made their way into the parking lot. "I'll see you guys later then." He said as everyone parted ways to their cars.

* * *

Finn drove Rachel back to her house in silence. She wasn't entirely sure what to say, especially since she had to tell Finn that she wasn't going to be able to make it to the party that night. It only took five minutes to make it back to her house though, so she hadn't had much time to come up with any good excuses.

"I had fun today." Rachel said, opening her door and getting out of Finn's truck. "I guess I'll see you on Monday." She turned around then and made her way to the front door, thinking if she just made it inside before he figured out that she wasn't going to the party she'd be free and clear.

"Hold on!" Finn was quicker than she'd given him credit for.

Groaning and turning around on the porch, Rachel came face to face with Finn who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Did I forget something?" She decided to play dumb.

"Do you want me to pick you up for the party tonight?" Finn asked.

"Oh yeah, the party." Rachel said, stalling as much as she could. "I forgot I have to clean the house. My dads are out of town, and the place is a pig sty." She lied, she lied big. It wasn't too hard though, especially since she was a world-class actress.

"You have to clean the house?" Finn clearly didn't believe her.

"Yeah, it's nearly unlivable in there. I'm behind on my chores." Rachel said, wishing that Finn would just get the hint.

"Oh, well, I could help you clean if you like." Finn said, making as though he were going to climb the stairs.

Rachel panicked. "No!" She said loudly, putting her hands out to stop him. Taking a breath she continued, "It's my mess, I'll do it. I'll see you on Monday though for Glee." And without any further words she quickly unlocked her door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

* * *

a/n: Okay, so I took a little from She's All That to help with Rachel's excuse for not going to the party. Also, Finn, Puck, Sam and Mike are the only ones who know about the bet. Quinn is dating Sam, also Quinn, Brittany and Sugar are Santana's "minions". Next chapter you can expect a little Kurt, Rachel and Blaine interaction. Please don't forget to review... :)


	8. Makeovers and Make Believe

It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.

Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)

* * *

Chapter Eight - Makeovers and Make Believe

_i'll show you what shoes to wear  
__how to fix your hair  
__everything that really counts  
__to be popular  
_**Popular - Kristin Chenoweth (from Wicked)  
**

Blaine was growing tired of watching Rachel pace back and forth in her room. He'd come over earlier at Rachel's request. Upon his arrival she'd given him a full recount of her day with Finn and his friends. The whole thing was tiring to listen to, especially since he knew Rachel's tendency to exaggerate.

"So they just invited you to the party like it was no big deal?" Blaine asked, reaching out to stop Rachel's movements and steering her towards the bed. He lightly pushed her shoulders, causing her to sit on the edge of the mattress.

"Yeah, like they haven't been tormenting me for the past four years." Rachel huffed. "It was weird."

Blaine nodded his head and moved to lie down on the bed next to Rachel, pulling his hands up to cover his eyes. "This whole business is giving me a headache."

"How do you think I feel?" Rachel nearly yelled. "Just yesterday Puck told me that he'd like to crawl inside of my cat sweater and see if I purr!"

Blaine cringed. "Seriously?"

"Yes!" Rachel said jumping up from her perch on the bed and beginning her pacing again. "Then today he's inviting me to a party."

"So are you going?" Blaine asked, though he was fairly certain that he already knew the answer to that question.

"Of course not! For all I know it's some strange game that they've got going! Like they're going to invite me to this party and then find some new way to humiliate me." Rachel said, looking at Blaine like he was crazy for even asking.

Blaine was going to say something else but as soon as he opened his mouth the doorbell to Rachel's house rang. "Are you expecting company? You know, besides me."

Rachel stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"

"What?" Blaine asked, confused at first. Then he realized that it had to be Finn, picking Rachel up for the party. "Do you think that's Finn? I thought you told him that you weren't going to the party tonight?"

"More or less." Rachel said, avoiding his eyes.

Rachel wasn't telling him everything, Blaine knew that now. "You did tell him you wouldn't go to the party, didn't you?"

"I told him that I couldn't possibly go out tonight." Rachel bit her lip and looked at the floor.

"Oh, dear God, you used your 'I have to clean the house' excuse again, didn't you?" Blaine laughed, getting up from the bed and walking to the door. "I'll go and get rid of him."

"Thank you!" Rachel smiled and went to sit at her vanity beside her bathroom. "I owe you."

Blaine didn't say anything else, just walked down the hallway to the front door. Rachel was his best friend, which meant that there wasn't much that he wouldn't do for her, including getting rid of popular male callers, no matter how cute he thought they were. Once he reached the door, he threw it open; fully intent on just telling Finn to leave and that they'd see him on Monday at school.

Unfortunately he wasn't ready for what was on the other side of the door.

There were six guys standing on the porch, each holding a different cleaning tool. He didn't recognize any of them, but they were clearly younger, close to fourteen or fifteen. He was about to say something when Finn Hudson stepped in front of them and made his way to the door, a shorter, well-dressed guy next to him.

Blaine quickly recovered as he stepped out of the house to face Finn. "Can I help you?"

"I thought Rachel said she was cleaning her house tonight. That's why she couldn't come out." Finn said, clearly confused as to why Blaine was there.

"I'm helping her clean." Blaine lied. "So you can just go home, we'll be busy for a while."

"I know you said you were cleaning, that's why I brought these guys to help clean. So that Rachel won't have to clean and she'll be able to go out." Finn said, waving his hand behind him to indicate the small group of boys behind him.

Blaine decided to give up the cleaning charade. "What's your deal, Hudson? Why is it so important to you that Rachel comes to your stupid jock party?"

Finn didn't say anything for a minute, and Blaine thought it looked like he was trying to come up with some story. He was just glad that he was a real master of bullshit, so he knew he'd be able to smell it a mile away. "Rachel is a great girl. I've been spending time with her the past few days and she's really cool. I just thought she'd like to get out and have fun for a change."

The story sounded good enough, and Finn actually seemed like he meant it. Blaine had to admit that it was true that Rachel didn't really get out very often, and she rarely seemed to have any fun. This was going to be a tough call to make, but he figured he'd just go with it and see where it went. "Fine, you can come in. I'll go and talk to Rachel and see if she wants to go with you. Since you're so hell bent on cleaning, you can do that. That doesn't guarantee that she'll even go with you though."

Blaine stepped back and let the small group into the house. He didn't say anything else as he made his way back to Rachel's bedroom. He knocked once and let himself into the room.

"Is he gone?" Rachel asked as soon as he shut the door. Clearly she hadn't bothered with eves dropping.

"Not exactly." Blaine said, avoiding eye contact as he made his way further into the room. "He's waiting in the living room. He's a very persistent person, plus he had a good point. I think you should go to the party."

Rachel looked like she would kill him if she could. "I thought you said you were getting rid of him! Instead you invite him into my house like he's your best buddy or something!" Rachel screamed.

"Come on, Rach. Seriously, you should give it a shot." Blaine said, holding his hands up in front of himself to try and calm Rachel down. "If you don't like it, you can call me and I'll come to pick you up."

Rachel took a deep breath, and Blaine could see that she was starting to calm down. "You promise?" She asked and he knew that she was in.

"I promise." Blaine said, moving forward to give Rachel a small hug. "Now, let's get you ready for the ball." He joked, turning her towards her vanity and forcing her to sit down. He was about to start working on her hair when he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

The well-dressed guy that had been with Finn on the porch stuck his head in the room. "Finn was hoping that I'd be able to help you get ready." He looked harmless enough, so Blaine waved him into the room. "My name's Kurt by the way."

"I'm Blaine and this is Rachel." Blaine said, motioning between the two of them. He quickly gave Kurt a quick once-over, noting that he was indeed very well dressed. His clothes were fantastic, especially his hippo-head broach. "It's fine with me you help, as long as it's okay with Rachel." With that he looked towards Rachel.

"It's fine with me. Maybe with the two of you helping I won't look like a total loser." Rachel laughed, even though Blaine knew that she was being serious.

Kurt smiled and made his way into the room. "I do love a good makeover." He said, clapping his hands together as he walked.

* * *

Thirty minutes later Blaine and Kurt each took a step back to admire their work. It had been a tough go, but they'd finally been able to get Rachel ready for the party, and if Blaine were a straight man, he'd be having a hard time controlling himself.

Her hair was down with loose curls giving it the perfect amount of volume. Her makeup was simple, with gloss emphasizing her full lips and the classic smoky eye. Her dress had been the most difficult thing to get her into though. It was a strapless white lace knee length dress, something that Blaine had gotten her for Christmas that she'd never worn. She had a small white shawl to keep her shoulders warm and white heels.

"You look awesome, Rach." Blaine said, putting his hand over his mouth as he admired their work again. "You're going to knock everyone else out of the water."

"Blaine, it's a party, not a pageant." Rachel laughed, taking a step forward and nearly tripping over her feet. "These heels are going to kill me."

Kurt reached out and offered her his arm to help her walk. "You'll be fine. It shouldn't take too long to get used to them." He led her to the door as Blaine opened it and walked ahead of them.

Blaine walked into the living room and cleared his throat, getting the attention of Finn who was sitting on the couch. The cleaning crew had already left, and Blaine had to admit the house looked amazing. He was about to say something when Kurt joined him in the room. Rachel wasn't with her.

Finn quickly stood up, wiping his hands on her jeans. Blaine thought he almost looked like he was nervous. "Ladies and gentlemen, for a one-night engagement, I give you Miss Rachel Berry!" Blaine said with a flourish, pointing in the direction of Rachel's room with his hands.

Nothing happened.

* * *

**_a/n: Whew! Cliffhanger...I guess. The next chapter is the party! I have tons of drama planned, so stay tuned (so to speak). Don't forget to review! :)_**

**_a/n/n: I don't know if anyone really cares about using a Wicked song in the beginning, since I've been trying to use the music from the 90s to early 2000s. The Wicked Soundtrack (for lack of a better word) came out in 2003, so that's why I used the song. It really is the perfect makeover song!_**


	9. Duets and Duvets

_**It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.**_

_**Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)**_

* * *

Chapter Nine - Duets and Duvets

_nervous hands and anxious smiles_  
_i can feel you breathing_  
_this is right where we belong_  
_turn up the music_  
**Our Time Now - Plain White T's  
**

Rachel couldn't believe where she was. Sure, she'd always joked about going to these sorts of parties with Blaine and Tina from time to time, but she'd never once imagined that she'd be attending one. Or that she'd be attending the party with Finn Hudson. Somehow in the past week her life had changed, all starting when Finn had decided to audition for Glee.

This had to be too good to be true. That's why she almost didn't come. She'd been all dressed up and ready to go, but as soon as Blaine and Kurt had left her bedroom she'd panicked. It took ten minutes to talk her back into going to the party.

Now, as she looked around Mike's enormous living room, she was struck with the same anxiety. This was the popular clique's party; she had no right to be there. Finn must have sensed her fear because he quickly grabbed her hand, giving it a small squeeze. She quickly looked down at their joined hands, surprised at how well her hand fit inside of his. She was about to say something when she was suddenly pulled away by a tall blonde.

"I am so glad that you came, Rachel!" Quinn said, smiling at her as she pulled Rachel away from Finn. "Sugar didn't think you'd come, but I knew Finn would convince you to come."

Rachel smiled, even though she was still trying to figure out why Quinn Fabray was being so nice to her all of a sudden. Sure, they'd gotten along pretty well earlier in the day, but she hadn't thought that they were this close. "Well, he did." She said, going along with the blonde as she pulled her away from Finn, shooting him an apologetic glance as they walked away.

"Do you want something to drink?" Quinn asked with her arm still looped through Rachel's as they made their way through the living room into the kitchen.

"Sure." Rachel said, figuring that she'd just have one drink for the night.

"Okay, stay here." Quinn said, pulling away from Rachel and making her way towards the keg in the middle of the room.

Rachel stood there silently, watching the people in the kitchen and living room. There were groups of people playing beer pong, something she'd only ever played once at Mercedes' house last year. There were a few other drinking games going on, but she didn't recognize any of them. The thing that really caught her eye though was the karaoke machine set up next to the fireplace, the hearth creating a sort of stage for people to sing on. What was crazy though was that people were actually singing.

"Do you see any games you'd like to play?" Quinn's voice startled her as she reappeared at her side.

Rachel shook her head, knowing that drinking games only promoted binge drinking, and she didn't plan on doing any of that. "I was thinking I might do a little karaoke later, if I had a good partner."

Quinn laughed. "You're in Glee aren't you?"

"I've been in the club since my sophomore year." Rachel replied, taking her drink from Quinn and taking a small sip. She'd never liked the taste of beer, so she knew she'd be able to nurse this one cup for a while, as long as it didn't get warm. "Finn just joined last week."

It was obvious that Quinn hadn't known this bit of information, but she didn't seem to act like it was that big of a deal. "Then you should have him sing with you." And with that Quinn locked arms with her again and drug her back to the living room, towards Finn and Puck who were talking to some Cheerios by the couch.

"Here you go." Quinn said quickly, letting go of Rachel and giving her a small push towards Finn before she disappeared back into the crowd. Rachel watched her go with a look of pure confusion before turning back to Finn and Puck.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite Jewish Princess!" Puck exclaimed loudly, clearly wasted.

"Sorry, he's been going for a few hours already." Finn said rolling his eyes at his friend.

"It's cool." Rachel said, mostly because she didn't know what else to say. "Are you having fun?"

"I guess. We haven't really been here long enough to get a real feel for the party, but this could easily be a pretty decent party." Finn shrugged his shoulders. "How are you doing?"

Rachel thought for a moment. So far the party had been a lot better than she'd expected. Of course she'd also not done much of anything. "I was thinking about trying out the karaoke later. Any excuse to sing, ya know?" She laughed, even though she was pretty sure that what she'd said wasn't funny.

Finn didn't say anything else and they stood together in silence for a few minutes, each nursing their drinks as they searched for something to talk about. Rachel was about to say something when she was interrupted by a loud voice through the surround sound speakers. "Will Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry please come to the karaoke station...your turn is up!"

Rachel turned, her eyes wide, to Finn who had the same deer in the headlights look on his face. "Did you sign us up for karaoke?" He asked.

Rachel shook her head no just as the voice came on again. "Come on you two, we set up the speaker system just for you."

Rachel looked to Finn again and sighed. "We might as well go up there. Everyone expects us to, and it's not like we won't perform in front of a crowd again."

Finn nodded his head and walked with Rachel towards the karaoke machine, noting how everyone turned to watch them walk past. It seemed the entire party had stopped everything they were doing to watch this one moment. Rachel had a nervous smile on her face, one which he was sure matched his own.

Once they had reached the fireplace they realized that it was Sam's voice coming over the speakers. He gave them a quick wink as they were each handed a microphone.

"Uh, hi." Finn said nervously into his microphone. Giving a small wave to everyone in the room. He sent a quick look towards Rachel, but she was busy talking to Sam, probably trying to figure out what song they were going to sing.

Finn wasn't sure how long he was standing there before Rachel tapped him on the shoulder. He bent down so she could whisper in his ear. "We're going to sing Where the Stars Go Blue, are you familiar with the song?"

He'd heard the song a few times, but he wasn't sure if he'd heard it enough to be able to sing it, but at this point he didn't seem to have much a choice. So he nodded his head and turned to face Rachel, blocking everyone else in the room out of his mind. He swallowed hard as the music started playing and Rachel started singing.

"Dancing where the stars go blue  
Dancing where the evening fell

Dancing in my wooden shoes  
in a wedding gown"

Rachel gave Finn a small nod, which he took to mean that it was his turn to sing.

"Dancing out on seventh street  
Dancing through the underground  
Dancing little marionette  
Are you happy now?  
Yeah

Where do you go when you're lonely?"

Rachel:  
"Where do you go when you're blue?"

Together:  
"Where do you go when you're lonely?  
I'll follow you."

Finn:  
"When the stars go blue  
When the stars go blue."

Finn was amazed at how well his and Rachel's voices melded together. He'd never really heard her sing before, and to say he was shocked at her voice would be an understatement, and the way she opened herself up as she sang showed him a side of her that he'd never really seen before. She was in her element, and she was beautiful.

Finn:  
"Laughing with your pretty mouth"

Rachel:  
"Laughing with your pretty mouth"

Finn:  
"Laughing with your broken eyes"

Rachel:  
"Laughing with your broken eyes"

Finn:  
"Laughing with your lovers tongue  
in a lullaby  
Yeah."

Together:  
"Where do you go when you're lonely?  
Where do you go when you're blue?  
Where do you go when you're lonely?  
I'll follow you.

Where do you go when you're lonely?  
Where do you go when you're blue?  
Where do you go when you're lonely?  
I'll follow you, follow you, follow you  
Yeah yeah

When the stars go blue  
When the stars go blue  
When the stars go blue  
When the stars go blue

Where do you go when you're lonely?  
Where do you go when the stars go blue?"

They finished the song together, neither of them looking at the crowd of people surrounding them. Finn wasn't entirely sure if he'd be able to take his eyes of Rachel first, so he just stood there watching her as the music faded around them. She quickly looked away though and turned her attention to the people surrounding them, just as everyone burst into a round of applause. He quickly blinked, coming back to reality and turned to face the crowds as well, relishing in what he'd just accomplished. He'd just performed with Rachel for the first time, and he couldn't describe it, but it felt like that this was what he was meant to do.

* * *

**_a/n: So I hadn't actually planned on ending the chapter there, but it feels like a good spot to stop. There's more to the party scene, so don't worry about that. What's coming up is a bit more "She's All That" and a lot less karaoke. I just wanted to kind of set Finchel into motion...sorry it took so many chapters! The song is "When the Stars go Blue" by Ryan Adams. I threw a little One Tree Hill into the mix though, because I used the same lyrical format from Haley/Chris's duet from season two. Alrighty then, as always, please don't forget to review and tell me what you thought! :)_**


	10. Places, People

It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.

Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)

* * *

Chapter Ten - Places, People.

_just when you think you got me figured out  
the season's already changing  
i think it's cool, you do what you do  
and don't try to save me  
_**Bitch - Meredith Brooks  
**

Santana was having a pretty good time. She knew that she'd be having an even better time if Brittany had been able to come out to Mike's party, but she had to stay home to have yet another intervention with her cat. This time it was his online gambling addiction.

Still, she was having a good time. She'd been hanging out with Sugar most of the night, and they were dominating at quarters. She'd had quite a bit to drink so she was feeling pretty damn good; at least she'd been feeling good until that damn announcement over the speakers asking for Finn to sing a song, and with Rachel Berry of all people. Chugging down what was left of her drink, which was quite a bit, she stood up and made her way to the 'stage' of sorts that was set up for the karaoke losers.

She stood there and watched as her ex boyfriend sang some stupid song with the Glee loser, Rachel Berry. She had to admit to herself that they were actually pretty good, but she would never admit it out loud. The song seemed to go on forever and she almost just gave up and walked away, letting the losers be together.

She almost gave up. Just as she was turning to walk away the song ended and the crowd of people surrounding the spectacle that was Finn and Rachel's little performance burst into applause. Rolling her eyes she turned back around and waited for the praise to end. There was no way that she was going to let Rachel Berry of all people have any sort of recognition. She was a theater geek, a loser, and she didn't deserve to have any sort of praise from anyone Santana Lopez associated with.

As soon as everyone had stopped their incessant clapping and gone back to whatever activity they had been preoccupying themselves with earlier Santana decided to make her attack. She walked up to the stage, where Rachel and Finn were still standing, talking to Sam. No doubt planning another show-stopping number.

"Well, isn't this cozy." Santana said, stepping up to their level. She ignored the combined groan of both Finn and Sam and focused her attention on Rachel. This was going to be way too easy.

"What do you want, Santana? Did you want to sing next?" Sam asked, stepping in front of her.

"Hell no, Trouty Mouth. Why don't you go and play beer pong or something. I'm sure they can throw the balls into your mouth for extra cups or something." She laughed, shoving the blond boy out of her way and zoning in completely on Rachel.

"I knew that Finn was desperate for a new girl after I dumped him, but I didn't think he was desperate enough to go for you." Santana said with a small laugh.

"We're not together." Rachel replied, her voice so small and shaky that Santana almost didn't hear her.

"Why do you care anyway?" Finn asked, stepping up to try and defend Rachel. Santana rolled her eyes and gave her shoulders a small shrug.

"I'm only concerned. Everyone knows that your social status is hanging by a thread. I mean, come on, you joined the Glee Club!" Santana laughed, turning to face the crowd that was once again gathering around them.

Finn looked like he'd drank spoiled milk, Santana was sure she had him in her back pocket now. "Who told you that?" He asked, taking a step back.

"Quinn was more than happy to divulge that bit of information. She really can't keep anything a secret when she's had a lot to drink. You're not denying it, so it must be true." Santana said smugly.

"What difference does it make if Finn joined the Glee Club?" Rachel said, louder than before. "He's got an amazing voice and he should be showcasing it."

"Oh come on, short stack, you of all people should know what kind of effect being in Glee has on your social life. You're the biggest loser in the school, even bigger than Chess Club losers. Did you honestly think that you could come to this party and get away with thinking that you're cool?" Santana laughed for real this time, doubling over with her laughter.

Rachel didn't say anything for a long time as Santana calmed down. "I should go." She said quickly and turned to make her way into the crowd.

Santana stood up straight and was about to let Rachel walk away when something on the fireplace mantle caught her eye. "Hey, Berry!" She reached up and grabbed the red Solo cup full of old beer and as soon as Rachel turned around to face her she threw the drink in the girl's face. "Don't forget your place again!"

She smirked as Rachel stood there, beer dripping off her face and ruining her dress. She's expected the girl to turn and run from the room, but instead she just stood there in some sort of shock.

"Thank you." Rachel said slowly and without any sort of emotion in her voice.

"Excuse me?" Santana asked, completely taken aback.

"Thank you. I forgot why I don't ever hang out with any of you." With that Rachel turned to face everyone at the party, which at this point everyone was watching the spectacle in front of them. "You act like you're better than everyone else at the school because you hang out with the right people. Well, guess what? You're not." With that Rachel turned her attention back to Santana. "The only difference between me and you is that my whole life's purpose wont end after high school is over." And with that Rachel took off into the crowd, making her way to the front door.

Santana stood there for a second, trying to wrap her head around what had just happened. Rachel Berry had just told her off in front of everyone. Maybe that chick had bigger balls than she'd originally given her credit for.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Finn's voice pulled her out of her reverie.

"Oh shut up, you should have known better than to bring her to this party. She has no place here." Santana rolled her eyes, turning to walk back to her game of quarters.

"She's right about you." Finn said, but she chose to ignore him. Mostly because she knew that Rachel Berry may just have a point. She really didn't have much of a future planned for herself after high school, but she didn't want to think about that at the moment.

Right now she just wanted to drink and forget about what had just happened.

* * *

**_a/n: Well there you have it, a small glimpse into what make Santana Lopez such a bitch. This chapter was very "She's All That" and I actually really enjoyed writing this one (even though it's so short (sorry)). Please don't forget to review, because that's really the main thing that keeps me going. Oh, and if you like you should check out my other three-part Finchel future song-fic. :)_**


	11. Expression and Exasperation

_**It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.**_

_**Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. I also have no claim to the song used in this chapter. :)**_

* * *

Chapter Eleven - Expression and Exasperation

_i used to get away with so much  
now i can't get away  
i even thought that it was simple  
to say the things i wanted to say  
_**Find My Way Back - Michelle Branch  
**

Mondays could suck it. Finn wasn't sure what it was that they could suck, but they were definitely his least favorite day of the week. He'd spent most of the day trying to talk to Rachel, but he'd been unsuccessful. She'd managed to surround herself with different members of the Glee Club and they were running very impressive interference every time he tried to talk to her.

Glee hadn't been much better. She'd managed to avoid his eyes every time he tried to get her to look at him. There wasn't much else he could do without causing a scene, and he really didn't want to put her on the spot. He just figured he'd talk to her once Mr. Shue excused them for the day.

"So the assignment for the week is 'Expression'." Mr. Shue said, writing the word on the whiteboard. "I want everyone to pick out a song that expresses what they're feeling right now."

"Didn't we already do this assignment?" The Asian girl next to Rachel asked. Finn thought her name was Tina something, but he wasn't sure.

"Yes." Mr. Shue said, pointing towards everyone with his marker. "But we're going to do it again."

"Can I go?" Rachel asked, drawing everyone's attention.

"Absolutely!" Mr. Shue replied, obviously happy that someone was taking an interest in his assignment.

Finn watched as Rachel slowly made her way to the front of the classroom, pausing to talk to the piano man whose name Finn still didn't' know. Finally she made it to the front of the classroom and turned around. The music soon started and she began singing.

"I gotta get away from here,

Where it's always cold  
I wanna warm my soul  
Because I'm watching the embers die

Said I'm gonna pack my bags  
Gonna leave today  
I got no need to stay  
Cause no one's gonna kiss me goodbye

But I don't need anybody to lead the way  
I got a dream to follow  
I don't need anybody to save today  
Because I've got tomorrow  
I don't need anybody to break my fall  
Because I know that if my journey leaves me weary at all  
I got a voice that carries  
Carry me on up  
Gonna carry me down to L.A.

Said it's been ten long years  
Since I've seen the sun  
I'm livin' on the run  
And so I'm hangin' my head in shame  
But my Momma said to speak my mind  
So listen what I say  
Cause there will come a day  
When everybody's screamin' my name

But I don't need anybody to lead the way  
I got a dream to follow  
I don't need anybody to save today  
Because I've got tomorrow  
I don't need anybody to break my fall  
Because I know that if my journey leaves me weary at all  
I got a voice that carries  
Carry me on up  
Gonna carry me down to L.A.

I got a voice that carries  
Carry me down where the sun don't stop  
I got a voice that carries  
Carry me away from my pain, yeah

I got a voice that carries  
Carry me down to where the sand is hot  
I got a voice that carries  
That's the only thing that's keeping me sane

But I got a voice

Can you hear it?  
Callin' me up and away, yeah  
But I got a voice

Can you hear it?

Callin' me, callin' me, callin' me

Down to L.A.

Never had a place to go  
Or a place to be, no  
As long as I can breathe

I'll always have my getaway song

But I don't need anybody to lead the way  
I got a dream to follow  
I don't need anybody to save today  
Because I've got tomorrow  
I don't need anybody to break my fall  
Because I know that if my journey leaves me weary at all  
I got a voice that carries  
Carry me on up  
Gonna carry me down to L.A.

But I don't need anybody to lead the way  
I got a dream to follow  
I don't need anybody to save today  
Because I've got tomorrow  
I don't need anybody to break my fall  
Because I know that if my journey leaves me weary at all  
I got a voice that carries  
Carry me on up  
Gonna carry me down to L.A."

Rachel ended the song as everyone stood up to give her a standing ovation, something Finn was sure she was used to. He joined in the applause, but couldn't help but think that the song had been directed at him. She hadn't looked anywhere close to him during the song, but he still felt like it was for him.

"Very good, Rachel." Mr. Shue said, still clapping as he made his way back to the front of the room to stand next to Rachel. "Why did you pick that song?"

Rachel seemed to be thinking about her answer for a moment, but then she turned to Mr. Shue with a brilliant smile on her face. "I just needed to remind myself that I'm going to get out of Lima, Ohio, and that the best way for me to leave this town is to use my voice. My voice is going to take me places. After graduation I'm going to move to New York City and go to NYADA and leave this place behind."

"Okay..." Mr. Shue obviously hadn't been expecting as long of an explanation. "You did a great job."

Rachel smiled once again and made her way back to her seat, this time she did venture a glance towards Finn, and if looks could kill Rachel would be leaving Lima, to go to prison. Finn gulped and faced Mr. Shue once again.

"Well, that's all for today." Mr. Shue said. "I want everyone to think about their songs for the week and I'll see you all tomorrow."

Finn knew this was his only chance to talk to Rachel. He'd be able to talk to her in the hallway when she went to get her things from her locker. He quickly got up from his seat and followed her to her locker, thankful that her posse seemed to find escaping the school more important than keeping him away from her. Even Blaine, who had stopped to talk to Mr. Shue about something.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Finn asked as he walked up to Rachel's locker, where she was busy gathering her books. He knew that the question was ridiculous; he knew full and well why she had been avoiding her since the party, he just wasn't sure how else to broach the subject.

Rachel didn't respond, just kept gathering her books as though he wasn't even there. "Okay, I know, that was a stupid question." Finn sighed reaching up to turn Rachel towards him, regretting it instantly when he saw the irritation on her face.

Once again Rachel didn't say anything as she turned away from him to close her locker. Only when she began to walk away did she say anything. "Could you please just leave me alone?"

Finn knew that he couldn't leave her alone, but not because of the bet. Rachel Berry had intrigued him quite a bit, and he couldn't quite put his finger on the reason why. Plus, he needed her help with Glee. "Look, I'm sorry for what happened the other night at the party. Santana is a bitch, but none of what happened had anything to do with me."

Rachel spun around and faced Finn, her eyes full of rage. "It had everything to do with you!" She yelled, not noticing how some of the Glee kids were still in the halls with them. "You invited me to that stupid party. You and your friends have treated me like trash for years, so I don't know where you get off saying that it had nothing to do with you."

"Okay, I think I deserved that." Finn said, rocking back on his heels, taking in Rachel's words. "Feel better now?"

Rachel seemed to deflate fairly quickly after her outburst, her face losing most of its emotions, until it was nearly a blank slate. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I just am sick of putting up with all the bullying, which is why I am looking forward to graduation. I'm going to move to New York and become everything I was meant to be."

Finn smiled at her words. "I'm glad that you have such a huge dream. Can I let you in on a secret?" Rachel nodded. "I have no idea what I want to do after graduation."

Rachel seemed shocked. "I thought you had college scouts offering you scholarships for football and baseball."

Finn shrugged his shoulders. "I do have plenty of offers. I just don't want to play college ball. I used to play sports just because it was fun, now it seems like I only play sports because I'm supposed to. The game isn't fun anymore."

Rachel gave him a small smile as she reached out and took a hold of his hand, giving it a small squeeze. "Well, what is fun to you now?"

"I am having a surprising amount of fun with Glee. Who knew that singing and dancing could have ever been my calling?" Finn wasn't sure if music was what he wanted to, but he did know that the times that he'd been singing were the best times he'd had in a very long time. That had to mean something.

"Speaking of dancing, we should probably go work on yours." Rachel said laughing.

It wasn't until that moment that Finn realized that he had been holding Rachel's hand ever since he'd told her about not wanting to play sports. Her hand felt right in his so he didn't let go as she led the way to the auditorium.

* * *

a/n; The song is A Voice That Carries by Bonnie McKee. (Who incidentally happens to be helping Lea with her solo album, at least that's what Twitter tells me.) Please don't forget to review! :)


	12. Unsinkable Friendships Sink

_**It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.**_

_**Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)**_

* * *

Chapter Twelve - Unsinkable Friendships Sink

_tell me why can't you see, it's not the way  
when we all fall down, it will be too late  
why is there no reason we can't change  
when we all fall down, who will take the blame?  
what will it take?  
_**No Reason - Sum 41  
**

Finn was in a pickle, at least that's what he was felt like he was in. It had been a little over a week since the fated party where Santana humiliated Rachel, and instead of her popularity taking another hit, she had somehow become some sort of martyr for a majority of the senior class. He knew that he should be happy with the way things were turning out, since it was become more and more likely that Rachel would have secured one of the three nominations for Prom Queen. For some reason though, he was feeling less and less secure in his plan.

It was currently his free period, which as always was spent with Puckerman, usually in the parking lot taking a nap. Today, though, was the day Sue Sylvester was due to announce the candidates for Prom King and Queen. So they had chosen to stay close to campus, choosing to hang out in the outdoor cafeteria area.

"You know I didn't think you actually had the balls to pull this whole thing off, but you may have actually proved me wrong." Puck said, not even bothering to pick his head up from the bench he was currently sprawled out on.

"Gee, thanks." Finn replied. He was sitting up in his seat, going over sheet music for Glee. He was pretty sure that he was nowhere close to being able to understand most of it, but Rachel had been helping him and he was getting better.

"No, seriously, I'm actually impressed with how you've handled everything." Puck said, this time sitting up to face Finn.

"I haven't really done much. Rachel's done most of the work, she's actually a pretty amazing person once you get to know her." Finn smiled, thinking back on the past few days he'd spent with Rachel after school.

"Still, she'd still be a big nobody if you hadn't come along and made everything happen." Puck reached out to punch Finn in the shoulder. "So maybe you were right after all. Three more weeks and you'll have this whole bet thing in the bag."

Finn groaned. He really didn't want to deal with the whole bet thing anymore. He'd been trying to brainstorm different ways to get out of the whole thing, but he knew that there wasn't really a whole lot he could do, short of just telling Rachel the truth. And if he told her the truth there was no way in hell that she'd ever forgive him.

"What's the matter, man?" Puck asked. "Are you getting cold feet or something?"

"I'm just not sure if I want to do this anymore." Finn said with a sigh. "It was fun and everything back before I actually got to know Rachel, and now that I know her I don't want to hurt her."

"Sorry to break it to you buddy, but you've already hurt her." Puck laughed. "Why do you care anyway? It's fucking Rachel Berry, she's a nobody."

Finn couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger at Puck's words. He didn't say anything though, instead choosing to pack his papers and books back into his backpack. Puck, on the other hand, was not willing to let this go.

"Oh, I see. You like her."

Finn's head shot up so fast he wondered if he might have whiplash. "What?"

"You like her." Puck repeated. "That's why you want out of the bet."

Finn shook his head, shoving his things into his bag as quickly as possible, ready to get away from Puck and this entire conversation. He knew that if he admited to Puck that he actually did like Rachel, that Puck would blow the whole thing out of proportion .

"Isn't that just adorable? It would almost be a really great love story if you hadn't been lying to her face the entire time." Puck refused to let the subject drop. "Maybe we should just drop the whole thing since you're so..._invested_."

It was moments like this when Finn asked himself why he was friends with Puck. Puck refused to let anything go, especially when he wasn't winning. Finn knew better than to assume he'd just let Finn out of the bet. "What are you planning, Noah?"

"Ooh, using my first name." Puck grinned. "I must have struck a nerve."

Finn rolled his eyes, getting up from the table. "What do you want, Puck?"

"I haven't decided yet." Puck smiled, lying back down on his bench. "But you know my mom has really been on my ass lately about finding myself a good Jewish girl."

Finn wasn't sure where Puck was going with this, but he was sure that it wasn't good. "I don't know what you're playing at, Puckerman, but leave Rachel out of it. I think we've put her though enough."

Puck didn't say anything else, just planted a huge smirk on his face as Finn watched him. Finally giving up on the whole conversation he turned and started to make his way towards his next class. He'd only made it a few steps when the intercom outside came on with the sound of xylophone music and seconds later Sue Sylvester's voice came through.

"Students of McKinley High School, the moment you've all been waiting for, aside from the results of your Hepatitis tests - which I'm sure are nearly all positive - your candidates for Prom King and Queen. Since I don't actually give a crap about any of this, I won't waste your time with pleasantries. Your nominees for Prom King are: Noah Puckerman, Dave Karofsky, and Finn Hudson. Your nominees for Prom Queen are: Santana Lopez, Quinn Fabray, and Rachel Berry. Congratulations to everyone and let the teen-filled angst of Prom be all you hoped it would be." With a final flourish of the xylophone, Sue Sylvester's announcement was over.

Finn stood there in shock, halfway to his next class. So the rumors had been true, Rachel Berry had been nominated for Prom Queen. He turned to look back at Puck, who was standing up facing Finn, a big grin on his face. Finn knew that he should be happy with the nomination, but all he could feel at the moment was dread.

* * *

_**a/n: Sorry the chapter is so short. The next chapter should be longer, plus it'll include Rachel's reaction to being nominated. Keep reviewing! :)**_


	13. Well Wishes for Wishing Wells

_**It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.**_

_**Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)**_

* * *

Chapter Thirteen - Well Wishes for Wishing Wells

_i wanna put my tender heart in a blender  
watch it spin round to a beautiful oblivion  
rendezvous then i'm through with you  
_**Inside Out - Eve 6  
**

Rachel was in a state of pure confusion. Ever since Ms. Sylvester's announcement during fifth period she'd gone through the rest of her day in a daze. Everywhere she went someone was congratulating her on her nomination and she'd respond with the same smile and nod with a quick thank-you before moving along.

What was even more confusing was how many people had already said that they were going to vote for her. People she didn't even know, but knew were associated with all the other clubs in school. Most of the Chess Club had already pledged their "allegiance" and Jacob Ben Israel had been hounding her every chance he had to do an interview of sorts. Of course he also said he'd make her look good if she showed him her boobs, to which she had slapped him.

She was walking to Glee whenever Finn stopped her in the hallway.

"Hey Finn, what's up?" She asked as they paused outside of the classroom.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your nomination. That one kind of came out of left field, but I'm happy for you." Finn gave her his usual half smile; Rachel felt her mouth go dry.

"Thanks. Um, you too." Rachel said, suddenly unsure of what to say. Since she'd been spending more and more time with Finn she'd found herself acting less like a friend and more like a school girl with a crush. It was unnerving and she wished that she knew how to stop.

"Yeah, I was kind of wishing that I could skirt by without a nomination." Finn said quickly, once again taking her by surprise. Wasn't he supposed to like being popular?

Instead of asking Finn what he meant, Rachel decided to leave the matter alone. She was finding that the more she talked to Finn, the more he surprised her. Letting the conversation drop she led the way into the choir room and they took their seats next to Blaine and waited for Mr. Shue to start the lesson.

Less than a minute later Mr. Shue entered the room, clearly in a good mood as he faced the small group in front of him. "Alright guys!" He said, clapping his hands enthusiastically. "Before we start our final planning for Regionals this weekend, I wanted to say congrats to our two nominees for Prom King and Queen."

Rachel knew she was blushing as she tried to figure out if the scuff marks on the floor made any patterns. She wasn't sure what to say and she really wished that everyone would stop making such a big deal out of the whole thing.

"Thanks Mr. Shue." Finn spoke for them both. "I'm sure we can both count on everyone's vote." The last part sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Of c-c-course!" Tina said enthusiastically from the other side of the room. "We've already s-s-started wor-working on some p-p-posters. Just some outlines of c-c-course."

Rachel smiled and turned her attention to her friend. "Thank you so much Tina, but I was kind of just hoping to lay low and see if this thing would just blow over."

"Oh, hell to the no!" Mercedes said from her seat behind Tina. "You deserve this nomination, and you're going to win."

Rachel didn't say anything else, just nodded her head and looked straight ahead. Apparently she did have a campaign to run, even if she didn't really want to be nominated. Everyone else seemed to drop the subject and started talking about Regionals and their finished set list. Mr. Shue had submitted the songs earlier in the day and everyone was excited.

The rest of Glee went by without another mention of Prom. Rachel stayed behind after class though to talk to Finn about his dancing. They'd spent every day after school for the past week and a half practicing and Rachel was absolutely sure that he was ready to perform at Regionals.

"It's hard to believe that Regionals is this Saturday." Finn said as they walked out of the classroom side by side. "It feels like it was just yesterday that I even joined Glee Club."

"That's because you did just join." Rachel laughed, nudging Finn's arm with her shoulder.

Finn laughed and nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess that's right."

"So I wanted to let you know that your dancing has gotten much better. I don't even think that you need me to tudor you anymore." Rachel said, trying to ignore the fact that she was kind of upset about not having to be Finn's dance tudor any longer.

"Are you trying to get rid of me? Am I that bad?" Finn laughed as they paused at Rachel's lockers so she could gather her books.

"Nope. I've taught you all that I can teach you." Rachel said, closing her locker. "Unless you think you still need help." She added, hoping that he'd take her up on the offer.

Finn seemed to think about her offer for a moment. "I have been told that I have horrible coordination."

"So you think you need some more lessons?" Rachel asked, trying to keep the eager tone out of her voice.

"It probably wouldn't hurt." Finn mused. "I mean, I wouldn't want to swing my arms out of control and break someone's nose during our performance. That would awful."

Rachel laughed, mostly because she could actually envision Finn doing something along those lines. "That would be awful. We owe it to the rest of the group to continue with your lessons, just to save everyone of that possible humiliation."

"Agreed. It's what's best for the group." Finn smiled as he turned around and started walking with Rachel to the auditorium.

"It's a good thing we're so selfless." Rachel giggled.

The rest of the walk to auditorium was in silence, which Rachel was quite thankful for. She still couldn't figure out how she'd managed to go from telling Finn that he didn't need her help anymore to insisting that they keep practicing together. She was pretty sure that he didn't want to stop practicing either, and the thought of him wanting to spend time with her put a smile on her face that she was unable to get rid of.

* * *

_**a/n: This chapter took forever for me to get out. I'm not sure why, but it was a real pain in the butt. Next chapter is Regionals, so in the words of Pheobe Buffet: "Things might get musical!" And, as always, don't forget to review! :)**_


	14. Endurance

_**It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.**_

_**Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :) I also do not lay any sort of claim to the songs used in this chapter. They belong to their respective owners.**_

* * *

Chapter Fourteen - Endurance

_you'll never hear this song  
you'll never see the movie in my head  
_**Hum Along - Ludo  
**

Will was proud of his group of kids; they'd started the year off a little rough but they'd managed to pull everything together and make this year something special. Now here they were; the third consecutive Regional competition since he'd started coaching the Glee Club. He was almost certain that they had the competition today in the palms of their hands. Still, he couldn't sit still as they waited for the curtain to open.

"Will, you need to calm down. They're ready; you've done an amazing job." Emma's voice next to him brought him out of his thoughts. He quickly turned to give his fiancée a smile and reached out to hold her hand, giving it a small squeeze.

"I know, and I know we're as prepared as we've ever been." Will said. "Finn's been practicing with Rachel every day after school and his dancing is one hundred percent better than it was when he first started."

Emma didn't say anything, just smiled and squeezed Will's hand. He smiled at her and her uncanny way of calming him down. Feeling at ease finally, he leaned over to place a small kiss on her lips. As soon as he pulled away though the curtains drew up and the New Directions started their performance.

First up was Rachel; she really did have the best singing voice in the club, which was why she had been his first choice for the solo performance. They'd worked closely together in picking out the song, and he was very pleased with the choice that they had made.

_"When you are caught in the rain_  
_With nowhere to run_  
_When you're distraught and in pain_  
_Without anyone_  
_And you feel so far away_

_That you just can't find your way home_  
_You can get there alone_  
_It's okay_  
_What you say is_

_I can make it through the rain_  
_I can stand up once again_  
_On my own and I know_  
_That I'm strong enough to mend_  
_And every time I feel afraid_  
_I hold tighter to my faith_  
_And I live one more day_  
_And I make it through the rain_

_And if you keep falling down_  
_Don't you dare give in_  
_You will arise safe and sound_  
_So keep pressing on steadfastly_  
_And you'll find what you need to prevail_  
_What you say is_

_I can make it through the rain_  
_I can stand up once again_  
_On my own and I know_  
_That I'm strong enough to mend_  
_And every time I feel afraid_  
_I hold tighter to my faith_  
_And I live one more day_  
_And I make it through the rain_

_And when the wind blows_  
_As shadows grow close_  
_Don't be afraid_  
_There's nothing you can't face_  
_And should they tell you_  
_You'll never pull through_  
_Don't hesitate_  
_Stand tall and say_

_I can make it through the rain_  
_I can stand up once again_  
_On my own and I know_  
_That I'm strong enough to mend_  
_And every time I feel afraid_  
_I hold tighter to my faith_  
_And I live one more day_  
_And I'll make it through the rain_

_I can make it through the rain_  
_And stand up once again_  
_And I live one more day, and I_  
_I can make it through the rain_  
_Oh yes, you can_  
_You're gonna make it through the rain"_

As Rachel finished singing, Will joined the rest of the audience as they stood to give her a thunderous standing ovation. He'd been a little unsure about the song choice originally but she'd proven that she was capable of singing anything once again.

"That was amazing!" Emma said from beside him, reaching up to give him a hug. He turned into the embrace hugged her back.

As soon as the crowd calmed down Rachel took a step back as Finn joined her on the stage. They'd kept the choreography simple for the first two numbers, choosing to go all out on the final group number. For this next number it was just Finn and Rachel singing to each other, circling the stage as they belted out one of his favorite songs.

Finn started out the song, making sure to keep his eyes on Rachel. Even from his seat a few rows back from the stage, Will was able to sense the chemistry between the two. This song would be epic.

_"So denied, so I lied  
Are you the now or never kind  
In a day and a day, love_

_I'm gonna be gone for good again_

_Are you willing to be had  
Are you cool with just tonight?"_

Rachel came in with the next line, walking to Finn and running her hand down his arm.

_"Here's a toast  
To all those who hear me all too well."_

Finn joined Rachel for the chorus.

_"Here's to the nights we felt alive  
Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry  
Here's to goodbye  
Tomorrow's gonna come too soon."_

Rachel took the next verse, keeping her eyes locked with Finn's as she made her way around the stage.

_"Put your name on the line  
Along with place and time  
Wanna stay, not to go  
I wanna ditch the logical_

_Here's a toast  
To all those who hear me all too well."_

Once again their voices joined together.

_"Here's to the nights we felt alive  
Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry  
Here's to goodbye  
Tomorrow's gonna come too soon._

_All my time is frozen in motion  
Can't I stay an hour or two or more  
Don't let me let you go."_

Then there was just Finn.

_"Don't let me let you go._

_Here's a toast  
To all those who hear me all too well."_

They finished the rest of the song together, their voices melding together in near perfect musical harmony. They finished, once again, to thunderous applause. Everyone stayed on their feet as the rest of the Glee Club filed out and took their places on the stage. Will cupped his hands around his mouth and let out a huge whoop. He was so proud of everyone, no matter how the competition ended.

The music was about to start so he turned once again to Emma, who was still sitting in her seat. "Thank you for being here with me, Em."

Emma smiled and gave him a knowing smile, something he was very used to. "I wouldn't be anywhere else."

Will grinned at her and reached to pull her to her feet as the music started. "You're going to want to see this."

The entire stage - which was two different levels with a few small steps between the levels - was being utilized for their final number. The bottom level held the lowerclassmen while the top level held the upperclassmen, everyone had a partner standing next to them. Rachel with Finn, Blaine with Tina, and Mercedes with Rory on the top level; Marley with Jake, Kitty with Artie, and Unique with Ryder on the bottom level.

The song had been simple enough to choose; the theme this year was endurance, plus the songs had to be at least ten years old. Of course, this was Will's sweet spot, so the whole thing had seemed just too easy. He watched as the song began and Finn and Rachel took the first verse.

_Hey, don't write yourself off yet  
It's only in your head you feel left out  
Or looked down on_

Blaine and Tina took the next line as Finn spun Rachel around, moving in time with the music - Will was impressed with his dancing, since he hadn't been so sure about whether he'd be ready.

_Just try your best, try everything you can  
And don't you worry what they tell themselves  
When you're away_

Then the rest of the group joined in for the chorus, their voices all melding together perfectly.

_It just takes some time  
Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride  
Everything, everything will be just fine  
Everything, everything will be alright, alright_

As the chorus ended everyone rushed to the center of the stage, standing together as Marley, Jake and Ryder stepped in front of the group to continue with the next verse.

_Hey, you know they're all the same  
You know you're doing better on your own  
So don't buy in_

_Live right now_  
_Yeah, just be yourself_  
_IT doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else_

The three freshmen rushed back to the group as everyone came together once again for the chorus.

_It just takes some time  
Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride  
Everything, everything will be just fine  
Everything, everything will be alright, alright_

_It just takes some time_  
_Little girl, you're in the middle of the right_  
_Everything, everything will be just fine  
__Everything, everything will be alright, alright_

This time as the chorus ended everyone split to opposite ends of the stage, each person facing their original partner. Then as the next lines were sang they came together at the top of the stage and made their way to the front of the stage with their partner, each couple taking a line from the song.

First up were Mercedes and Rory.

_Hey, don't write yourself off yet_

After they were standing on the edge of the stage, facing the crowd, they stood there and waited for the other couple to join them.

_It's only in your head you feel left out  
Or looked down on  
Just do your best  
Do everything you can  
And don't you worry what the bitter hearts are gonna say_

The last couple to make their way to the edge of the stage was Finn and Rachel. They walked together hand in hand and stopped in the middle of the group. Now the entire group was a wall of sound facing the audience as they finished the song.

_It just takes some time  
Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride  
Everything, everything will be just fine  
Everything, everything will be alright, alright_

_It just takes some time_  
_Little girl, you're in the middle of the right_  
_Everything, everything will be just fine  
__Everything, everything will be alright, alright  
_

They finished as the crowd - already on their feet - burst into a huge final round of applause, drowning out the last of the music as it faded away. Will was sure that he and Emma was the loudest out of everyone else, but it was tough call to make. As soon as the crowd calmed down the curtains were drawn and Will was finally able to really breathe.

"I guess we should go and wait with the kids." Emma said, gathering all of their things from their seat. "They were the last act, so the results should be soon."

Will nodded, knowing that they would all have to be on the stage when the results were announced. "Let's go." He said and led the way to the green room where the kids were supposed to be.

* * *

_**a/n: I'm sorry if this chapter sucked, I dreaded writing it and I really put it off as long as I could. It's all over now though, and this should be the last chapter with any lyrics in it until Prom. So now the story can continue on from here. Next chapter is the results! And to clear up any confusion, this is set in 2012. But why are Marley and Jake and those guys in here, you ask. Well, they're Freshmen (since this year they're Sophomores), I hope that's not too confusing. Please review. :)**_


	15. Sweet Silver Linings

_**It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.**_

_**Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)**_

* * *

Chapter Fifteen - Sweet Silver Linings

_this flood is slowly rising up  
swallowing the ground beneath my feet  
tell me how anybody thinks under this condition  
so i'll swim, i'll swim  
_**Dark Blue - Jack's Mannequin  
**

Blaine couldn't believe how long it was taking the judges to come up with the results for Regionals. When they'd performed at Sectionals there had only been five minutes between the last performance and the results. Of course there had been less competition there, whereas today they'd gone up against Vocal Adrenalin and an all-girls school that did accapella, so really they were a female version of the Warblers.

"This is taking forever." Rachel said next to him, though she wasn't talking to him, rather Finn who was standing on her other side.

Even though she wasn't talking to him, he felt inclined to say something. "There's a lot of stiff competition this year, this could really go either way."

Rachel turned her attention fully on him. "You don't think we're going to win?" She asked.

He groaned; of course Rachel would take his statement that way. "I didn't say that. I was just saying that our competition was really good, so this could go either way."

Rachel didn't seem to like that answer either, but she didn't say anything else to him as she turned her attention back to Finn. They started talking about how they could have improved on their duet together, and he quickly tuned out their conversation.

Blaine was surprised though at how well Finn and Rachel interacted. Just a few short weeks ago Rachel would have been standing next to him chatting nervously about something from the performance, yet now she was talking to Finn Hudson. Still, there was something in the way that they talked together, like they were the only two people on the stage. Rachel leaned in closer to Finn, making the scene a little too personal for Blaine to continue to watch.

Instead he turned his attention to the audience, searching the seats for a familiar face. He knew who he was looking for, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to find him. It only took a few seconds before his eyes connected with the one person he had been looking for, Kurt Hummel. He quickly raised his hand up and gave him a quick wave. He was about to gesture to the side of the stage, hoping they would be able to see each other after the results were announced, when the judges finally took the stage. He tore his eyes away from Kurt's and turned his attention back to the stage.

The New Directions all came together, closing what little space had been between them, as they nervously waited for the results to be announced.

"Hello, everyone, and thank you for coming to support your local Glee Clubs." The announcer, a balding car salesman, said dully into the microphone. Blaine could tell that the man didn't want to be there, and he didn't do much to hide that fact. "I will now turn the stage over to your former Miss Lima, Joanna Gert."

The crowd gave the proper amount of applause as was expected for their 'celebrity judge'. The woman gave a few small curtsies as she walked up to the microphone. "Thank-you!" She said, her enthusiasm much greater than the previous speaker. "It's my pleasure to announce the winners of our 2012 Regional's competition!"

Rachel reached over to grab Blaine's hand and give it a quick squeeze. He didn't hesitate to squeeze hers back as they waited for the woman to read the results off the index card in her hands.

"In third place..." The woman said, dragging out her words, trying her hardest to build the tension in the room. "From Columbus, Ohio: The Harmonies!"

Blaine felt a small amount of tension leave his body as the all-girls group went to accept their trophy and exit the stage. This meant that they would leave with either the first place trophy or they would come in second. Rachel's grip on his hand tightened so much that he imagined that his fingers were moments away from turning blue.

As soon as the crowd had died down enough for Joanna to continue without interruption she turned to the next index card in her hands. This one held the results that everyone really cared about - the group that would be advancing on to Nationals in Chicago.

"Now, what you've all been waiting for." Joanna started, looking down at the piece of paper in her hand. "Can I get a drum roll please?"

Blaine wasn't sure how much more he could take of this, but the drum roll started and with one last deep breath Joanna sealed everyone's fate.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, our first place trophy and a chance to perform at Nationals this year in Chicago goes to...Vocal Adrenalin!"

The world seemed to crash down on everyone around Blaine all at once. This was his senior year and this was supposed to be his last chance to win at Nationals. Now that chance was lost. He turned to Rachel, hoping to mourn their loss together, but she was hugging Finn and she didn't look like she was going to let go any time soon. So he stood there, trying to shake the shock from his body, willing himself to move forward and take the second place trophy from the table next to the judges.

When he returned to the group and handed the trophy over to Mr. Shuester, who had tears in his eyes as well, the group quickly made its way backstage. He wasn't sure what they were supposed to do now, but he figured they would be making their way to the bus so they could return to school.

"Blaine!" A voice stopped him in his tracks, and he turned around. He was surprised to see Kurt standing just a few feet away from everyone.

"Hey, Kurt." He said, walking over to the young man. He wasn't sure if he should give him a hug or not, since they'd just been talking on the phone and texting every now and then since they'd gotten Rachel ready a few weeks ago.

Kurt didn't seem to be quite as unsure of what to do as he reached over and pulled Blaine in for a hug. "I'm sorry you guys didn't win. Those judges were idiots."

"Thanks." Blaine said as he pulled away, unsure of what else to say.

Kurt seemed to understand that he was in a tough spot at the moment and was content with staying quite as well. They stayed silent as they made their way out of the auditorium and into the parking lot where the New Directions were somberly getting back on the bus.

"Look, if you don't want to ride the bus back, you can ride with me if you like. I'll even let you pick the music." Kurt said with a smile.

Blaine thought about the offer for a moment. On one hand, it would probably be best if he rode with the rest of the group, since the loss was still very fresh. Still, he really wanted to spend more time with Kurt.

Finally a smile broke out on his face as he turned to face Kurt. "Sure, let's go." And with that they both made their way to Kurt's Escalade which was parked a few spaces away. "Did you want to see if Finn wants a ride too?" He asked, mostly trying to be polite.

Kurt looked as though the idea hadn't even occurred to him. "Naw." He said as he unlocked the car. "He's too caught up with Rachel. He didn't even realize I was here."

Blaine didn't say anything else as he climbed in the passenger side. Even though they had lost Regionals, this day had a bit of a silver lining to it anyway.

* * *

_**a/n: Okay, so I know the last few chapters sucked, so sorry about that. They're supposed to be filler chapters, and really just something that had to be done, just so the rest of the story can continue on. I had thought about letting the New Directions win, but then I thought that outcome was just too predictable. (It still sucks that they lost though.) Anyway, from here on out the rest of the story will be less Glee Club and more She's All That. Please review. :)**_


	16. Cafeteria Confessionals

_**It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.**_

_**Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)**_

* * *

Chapter Sixteen - Cafeteria Confessionals

_oh look what you've done  
you've made a fool of everyone  
oh well, it seems like such fun  
__until you lose what you had won  
_**Look What You've Done - Jet  
**

The week after Regionals seemed to go by in a blur for Rachel. The loss had taken most of the club by surprise, but they had all thrown themselves into planning for Prom, using the event to soften the blow a little. Rachel had been talking to Blaine for the past five minutes, trying to decide what song she and Finn should sing for Prom.

"I just think that it would be best for me and Finn to sing a song together at Prom." Rachel gushed for what was probably the fifth time since they'd sat down together. "We have amazing musical chemistry and it would be a shame not to share it with the student body."

"I think that would be great." Blaine said the same thing he said every time she brought up the subject.

Rachel smiled and went through the list of the songs that she'd mentally compiled in her mind, trying to determine which song would be best for them. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice someone sit down next to her until they had tapped her on the shoulder. She quickly turned around, expecting to see Tina or Mercedes. Instead she was shocked to find Noah Puckerman sitting on the small bench next to her, causing her eyes to immediately go to his hands, in search for a slushie. Indeed, his hands were not empty; a Big Gulp slushie cup was located in his left hand, full of a purple slush.

A small gasp escaped her lips as she rushed to get up from her seat, knowing that the attempt was futile - there was no escaping a slushie facial when Noah was this close to her.

"No, wait!" Noah said, putting his empty hand out to stop her. "I'm not going to do anything."

Rachel wasn't entirely convinced, but she turned back to face Noah anyway. "What do you want?" She asked, keeping her focus on the cup in his hands.

Noah chuckled. "I got you this." He slowly slid the cup across the table. "I know that grape is your favorite, at least I think it is since you always lick your lips after I hit you with one."

Rachel could hear Blaine scoff next to her, but she chose to ignore him. This entire situation was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, drawing attention from the surrounding students. She was about to open her mouth to tell Noah off when Finn suddenly appeared at the head of the table and, judging by the look on his face, he wasn't pleased to see Noah.

"What are you doing, Puck?" Finn's voice was clouded with thinly veiled anger.

Rachel turned her attention back to Noah, who was standing up from the table, the slushie cup forgotten on the table as he made his way over to his friend. "I'm just talking to my friend, Rachel." His voice was threatening, though his words weren't of the sort.

Rachel wasn't sure what was going to happen. She couldn't think of any reason for Finn to be angry with Puck. "Finn, everything's fine. Noah was just bringing me a slushie." To emphasize her point she grabbed the cup from the table and took a quick drink.

Finn didn't seem to notice though, keeping his eyes firmly on Noah as he took another step closer to the other boy. Noah didn't seem to notice or care about Finn's attitude, a firm smirk in place on his face as he watched Finn grow angrier and angrier.

"I think you should go." Finn said, trying to look as menacing as possible, and succeeding quite well.

Blaine leaned over to Rachel, keeping his voice low. "What the heck is going on?"

Rachel had no idea. The last time she'd checked Finn and Noah were best friends; now they were acting as though they hated each other. She couldn't help but wonder what had changed. "I don't know." She shrugged her shoulders, emphasizing her point.

Blaine turned his attention back to the spectacle that was being made in front of their table. Rachel watched on as Finn and Noah went back and forth with their words.

"I don't think I want to go." Noah said, moving to where he was chest to chest with Finn.

"I'd be willing to bet that you do." Finn said, though Rachel could tell that as soon as he'd said the words he regretted them.

Noah laughed then, the sound echoing through the entire room. He backed up and began to circle his friend. "You bet, do you? I should have known you'd say that; you are, after all, a betting man."

Finn exploded; before Rachel had even had time to react, Finn had Noah by his shirt collar, his fist pulled back as though he was going to punch the other boy. Leaping from her seat, Rachel quickly made her way over to the two boys, putting her arm on Finn's and turning his attention away from Noah.

"Hey, you need to calm down." She said, pulling him away from Noah, who was looking a little dazed.

Finn seemed to listen to her for a second, but then his attention was pulled away again by Noah.

"You know what, I'm sick of this." Noah threw his hands into the air. "I don't want to go through with this bet anymore. I can't believe you talked me into the whole thing."

Rachel was sure that if she hadn't been holding onto Finn that he'd have attacked Noah again. She kept her grip firm, and turned her attention to Noah.

"What bet?" She asked, though she wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to know. She looked to Finn to clarify, but he was too busy looking at the floor to say anything. So instead she turned her full attention to Noah in front of her. "What bet?" She asked louder this time, nearly shouting.

Noah smirked. "Loverboy here bet that he could turn any girl into our Prom Queen, and you were his lucky test subject."

The world stopped then, or at least it should have. She couldn't believe her ears; everything that she and Finn had been through the last few weeks had all been a lie. There had to be some sort of mistake. "Is this true?" She turned her attention to Finn, who was still burning holes into the ground with his stare. "Is it?!" She screamed this time, not caring who heard her.

There was a muffled response from Finn, but she knew then that Noah had been telling the truth. She abruptly let go of his arm, stumbling back into the table where she'd just recently been seated. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that I was just some stupid fucking bet!" She yelled once again, not caring that she was cursing in school.

"It started out that way..." Was all Finn was able to get out before Blaine shot up from his seat and landed a fairly impressive blow to Finn's face.

Rachel gasped at the suddenness of the action, but didn't stop to see if Finn was okay. Instead she pulled Blaine back and they made their way out of the cafeteria, trying to ignore the stares from their peers.

* * *

_**A/N: Sorry for the delay in the updates. I had planned to update on Thursday, but just as I turned on my computer my husband called with a huge family emergency. Things still haven't exactly calmed down, so it could be a little bit before another update. :(**_

_**A/N/N: Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter (brokenbride88). It's mostly just updates on when I plan to update, plus I'm going to be putting pictures of some of the prom dresses. Those will be just a few chapters away. :)**_


	17. Hallway to Hell

_**It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.**_

_**Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)**_

* * *

Chapter Seventeen - Hallway to Hell

_truth be told i've tried my best  
but somewhere along the way  
i got caught up in all there was to offer  
and the cost was so much more than i could bear  
_**Fallen - Sarah McLachlan  
**

To say that the past week had been hell would be an understatement. Somehow in the past week Finn had managed to lose everything that he'd worked so hard to obtain. Sure, the whole endeavor had begun as a simple bet. Now, though, the more he thought about it, he was sure that it was no longer about proving a point with Puck. He wasn't sure if it had ever been about that.

Prom was only a few days away, which should have meant tons of preparations with the Glee Club. After Puck had ousted him though, they had all alienated him, so he found it easier to just avoid Glee altogether. Plus, it hurt to see Rachel every day and to know that she hated his guts.

He'd tried everything he could think of to get her to talk to him. He'd even started writing her notes in class and trying to pass them to her in the hallways; all that had earned him was a locker full of shredded up pieces of paper. His phone calls and text messages went unanswered, his voicemails likely unheard.

Still, he was waiting outside of the choir room when he knew that Glee was letting out, waiting for a chance to talk to Rachel. As soon as the door opened, he pushed himself up from his place on the floor where he'd been waiting.

Instead of meeting Rachel at the doorway, Blaine was standing there instead. After a quick sweep of the room, Finn noticed that Rachel wasn't even there. He'd been so sure that Rachel was going to be there, somehow he'd been wrong.

"She's not here." Blaine stated, his voice flat. Finn fought the urge to roll his eyes; right now he didn't have many ways to get to Rachel, and he didn't need to be burning all of his bridges. Though, this bridge was practically smoldering. Still, he needed to try everything.

"Can I talk to you?" Finn didn't bother trying to keep the urgency out of his voice.

"I don't have anything to say to you." Blaine said, pushing his way past Finn and making his way out of the school. Finn reached out and grabbed his arm, hoping to make the other boy stop. Blaine spun around, his hand in a fist at his side. "You seriously don't want to hear any of what I have to say."

"Look, I just need you to listen to me for a minute. Then you can decide whether you want to believe me or not when I tell you that I never meant to hurt Rachel." Finn pleaded, immediately releasing his grip on Blaine's arm.

Blaine relaxed his posture, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he looked at the boy in front of him. "Fine. I'll give you one minute to explain why I shouldn't beat the shit out of you."

Finn gulped. This was it: his one shot. "Well, first of all, the whole thing did start off a bet." He immediately threw his hands up in front of him as Blaine threw his fists back up. "It started off that way, but it didn't take long for it to become more than that for me!"

Blaine relaxed once again, motioning for Finn to continue.

"After spending time with Rachel, after getting to know her, I knew that everything wasn't about the bet anymore. I wanted to spend time with her, wanted to be with her all the time. I even went to Puck and told him that I wanted out of the bet. That's when the dirty bastard threatened to out me to everyone, so I panicked. I didn't know how to tell the best person I've ever known that our time together started out as a lie." Taking a deep breath, he wondered if he should mention that he was pretty sure that he was in love with Rachel, but figured it would be best left unsaid for the moment.

Blaine, seeming to understand that he was done, finally spoke. "Seriously? What the hell was that?"

"What do you mean?" Finn asked; he thought that he'd been clear.

"You expect me to believe all that bull? That you "wanted out of the bet" before Puck publicly ousted you. It sounds to me like you're just making excuses for hurting Rachel." Blaine said quickly before turning around and making his way back out of the school.

Finn didn't make any move to follow him, to try and convince him further. There was no point, he'd said everything he had meant to say.

"For what it's worth, I believe you." A voice behind Finn caught his attention. Turning around he was surprised to see Mr. Shuester standing in the hallway.

"How much of that did you hear?" Finn asked.

"Enough to know that you did something wrong, but you're trying to make up for whatever it is." Mr. Shue said, moving forward to clap Finn on the shoulder. "Let's go and talk in my office."

They walked together to Mr. Shue's small office in silence. It wasn't until they were both seated, Mr. Shue behind his desk and Finn folded into one of the tiny chairs on the other side, that Mr. Shue finally spoke.

"Look, I don't know what happened that caused you to stop coming to Glee practice, and honestly I can tell that it's probably a bit more than I even want to know." Mr. Shue said, kicking back in his seat. "All I know is that you're trying to get someone to believe you, but no one seems to understand you."

Finn didn't say anything, just nodded his head as he waited to see what Mr. Shue was getting to.

"Prom is coming up, and I still need you to perform, and what better way to get your words out than to sing about them?" Mr. Shue asked, finally getting to his point.

"You want me to sing a song at Prom about how much I messed up?" Finn asked, confused as hell.

"It's not a bad idea, and to be honest, right now it's the only way you've got to get anyone to actually listen to you." Mr. Shue said, and Finn had to admit, the man had a point.

"So you think that if I sing a song at Prom, then maybe everyone will give me another chance?" Finn could hear the flaws in the plan, but at the moment he didn't care.

Mr. Shue moved to stand next to Finn, clapping his hand on his shoulder. "Maybe they will, there's not really any guarantee there. What you need to make sure of is that you've tried everything in your power to make things right."

Finn could feel his funk lifting just a little bit. The whole idea was crazy and it had no real chance of working, but he knew that he had to at least give it a try. "Alright. Well, in that case, I have the perfect song."

* * *

_**A/N: Thanks for all the well wishes, it means a lot to me. Next up...Prom, which will be split up into four separate parts. There will be drama, there will be music, and there will be coupling. :) Oh, and please don't forget to review.**_


	18. Press-On Nails and Pressing Matters

**_It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That._**

**_Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)_**

* * *

Chapter Eighteen - Press-On Nails and Pressing Matters

_i keep trying to understand  
this thing and that thing, my fellow man  
i guess i'll let you know  
when i figure it out_  
**Half-Life - Duncan Sheik**

"I still can't believe you're going with that stupid buffoon." Blaine said for the sixth time in the past hour. He and Rachel were getting ready at her house for Prom. Blaine was going with Kurt, who he'd asked just after Regionals. Rachel, on the other hand, was going with Noah Puckerman, something Blaine was having a very hard time wrapping his head around.

Rachel sighed, her customary response, as she did a few final touchups to her makeup in the vanity mirror. She still hadn't changed into her dress, but it was laid on the bed for her when she was ready to change. Blaine knew she didn't want to hear anything that he had to say about Puck, but it still was mind boggling to think about.

"Noah has been nothing but a complete gentleman to me ever since he came clean about the whole Finn situation." Rachel said, her words a bit mumbled due to the lip-gloss she was applying.

"Yeah, he's a total gentleman." Blaine said, rolling his eyes. "If you don't count the slushies he's thrown in all of our faces, or the gay jokes he makes at my expense. Oh, and let's not forget how he locked Artie in a porta potty last year. He's a real winner, Rach."

"Look, I know he's not perfect, but he's been really supportive of me ever since the whole Finn situation." Rachel put down the last of her makeup, turning in the seat to give Blaine her complete attention.

"Which he was a big part of." Blaine reminded her.

"He's made that very clear. He's apologized profusely for everything he's done in the past, he's not a bad guy, Blaine."

"How was it so easy for you to forgive Puck, but Finn is still having to beg for the tiniest scraps of attention from you? How come you haven't talked to him, heard his side of everything?" Blaine asked, sitting down on the bed to put on his shoes.

"First of all, Finn played a much bigger part in the whole bet. Secondly, I can't trust myself to talk to him." Rachel said, turning her attention back to the mirror.

"I think you should talk to him." Blaine wasn't sure why he cared so much, but judging by Finn's behavior the past week, he'd be willing to bet that the guy deserved a break.

Rachel laughed; a short, sharp sound that was void of humor. "Since when are you Team Finn?"

Blaine rolled his eyes at Rachel's attitude. "He stopped me in the hall the other day, and he was pretty messed up. I think that you should at least give him a few minutes of your time. That's all."

"I'll think about it, but after prom." Rachel stood up from her vanity, obviously happy with her makeup and hair. "Right now I'm going to change into my dress. Puck's supposed to be here in about ten minutes, and I don't want to be running late."

Blaine checked his watch, sure enough it was closing in on 6:30, which was the time that Kurt was supposed to pick him up. He stood up, brushing his pants and jacket clean of the few stray hairs that had accumulated on them from sitting on Rachel's bed.

"Alright, go and change. I'm sure your dads are going to want pictures of us all together, and I don't want to keep Kurt waiting on you." Blaine said, waving his hands towards Rachel, hoping to make her hurry up.

Rachel, taking his cue, disappeared into her bathroom, her dress in tow. As soon as the door was closed Blaine pulled his phone out and sent a quick text to Kurt.

**Hey, we're almost ready. How's everything going over there?**

Almost immediately Kurt sent him a reply.

**It'd be easier if Finn weren't in such a sour mood. It's bad enough he turned down ALL of my tux suggestions, but now he's insisting that he needs to go alone.**

Blaine wasn't sure what to text back, he wasn't exactly comfortable talking about Finn, but he knew that Kurt was his brother. Turns out he didn't have to worry too much because Kurt texted him back before he even had to think of a response.

**Alright, he decided to leave while I was checking my hair. I'm leaving now to pick you up. Are you ready?**

Sighing with relief, Blaine shot back a quick **Yes**, shoving his phone into his jacket pocket. At that moment Rachel emerged from the bathroom, fully ready.

Blaine had to admit, Rachel looked spectacular. Her dress was gorgeous, but he already knew it was; he'd been there when she'd picked it out. Of course, that was nothing compared to how she looked now.

Her hair was pinned up, with a few loose curls framing her face and falling around her shoulders. She'd opted to keep her makeup simple, doing a smoky eye with a nude lip-gloss. The biggest eye-catcher though was her dress. Originally she'd wanted to go with a longer style, but he'd talked her into a shorter dress, which showcased her shapely legs, especially with her three-inch heels. The dress was a strapless, off-white lace number. There was a bit of a plunge, but Rachel managed to pull it off without looking trashy. All in all, it was a great dress.

"So what do you think?" Rachel asked, spinning slowly around.

"You look amazing. Puck is going to be happy he asked you, because you're going to be the most beautiful girl there." Blaine smiled as he approached Rachel, offering her his arm. "May I escort you to the living room?"

Rachel giggled, weaving her hand through his arm. "You may."

Blaine knew that the night was going to be eventful, but he also really just wanted everyone to get through the night with as little drama as possible. Of course, that was not likely.

* * *

_**A/N: Sorry about the delay with the update. I live in Oklahoma, and my town was hit by an F-4 tornado last Sunday. My family and I are fine, but my husband and I have been helping out as much as we can. Also, I'm sorry the chapter is so short. I'll make it up to you in the next chapter though. :)**_


	19. Promenade Is Just Walking

_**It was only supposed to be a bet. Finn Hudson, the most popular guy in school, bet that he could make any girl popular. So now he only has a few weeks to take the biggest loser in school, Rachel Berry, and turn her into the Prom Queen. Sounds simple enough. Yeah...right. Loosely based on She's All That.**_

_**Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time. :)**_

* * *

Chapter Nineteen - Promenade Is Just Walking

_  
sing me something soft  
sad and elegant  
or loud and out of key  
sing me anything  
_**Existentialism on Prom Night - Straylight Run**

Finn was pretty sure that Prom could suck it. The night was dragging, and he'd gotten there only fifteen minutes earlier. Of course as soon as he'd arrived, Santana had found him, making it her personal mission to make his life hell. He'd been able to avoid her so far, since she was pretty easy to spot in her skin-tight red dress. Of course he also knew his luck was nearing its limit; he'd never be able to avoid her the entire night.

He was proven right as soon as he'd sat down at a vacant table with a small plate of food.

"I should have known I'd find you stuffing your face." Santana's voice instantly shot chills up and down his spine, causing his appetite to vanish.

Shoving his plate away from him, Finn turned in his seat to face his ex-girlfriend. "Santana. I'd say it's nice to see you, but that would be a lie."

Santana rolled her eyes, pulling out a seat for herself. As soon as she was comfortable she turned her full attention onto him. "Well, if it isn't the Jolly Green Giant. I'm surprised they had a tux big enough for you, they must have had to make it especially for you."

Finn rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the food in front of him, spearing a grape with his fork. "Please, Santana, let's skip the pleasantries and get down to what it is you really want."

Santana seemed to think about his words for a moment before speaking again. "Well, as you know, Brit and I broke up. She said I was too mean and her stupid obese cat wanted her to break up with me."

"What, your personality didn't make her feel all warm and fuzzy inside?" Finn motioned for her to continue, even though he didn't really give a crap about anything she had to say.

"Well, I want to make you a proposition. We should team up and win this bitch." Santana said, reaching across the table to steal a piece of food off Finn's plate.

Completely forgetting his plate of food on the table, Finn pushed himself up from his seat. "Let me get this straight; you broke up with me, humiliated me in front of the entire school, then you went and humiliated Rachel at Mike's party. Now you want me to take you back, no questions asked, just so we can win Prom king and queen? That's rich."

Finn didn't even grace her with a full-out refusal; he turned his back and started making his way to the doors, hoping to get a bit of fresh air. He was the first of the performers of the night, and it was getting closer to the time he was supposed to take the stage.

"So, no then?" Santana's voice stopped him.

"That's a fucking hell no." He said, not bothering to turn around, knowing full well that she could hear him just fine.

He was nearing the doors when he finally saw Rachel. She looked stunning in her dress, but he thought she looked amazing in everything she wore. He looked to see who she was with, but all he could see was the back of the guy's head. Of course that was enough to tell him who the person was. What he couldn't quite figure out was why Rachel was at Prom with Puck.

Finn's easy-going attitude was being tested tonight. First with Santana being, well herself. Now, Rachel was with Noah. None of this was making any sense to him, but he was about to figure everything out. It only took a few long strides before he was within range of the couple.

"Noah, I told you that I will have nothing to do with spiking the punch." Rachel was laughing as she walked with Noah into the gym. Finn was sure that she hadn't spotted him yet, but that was about to change.

"Hi Rachel." He said awkwardly as he stepped in front of the pair.

They stopped, obviously surprised to see him. Rachel opened her mouth to say something but Puck beat her to the punch. "What the hell do you want Hudson?"

"I just need to talk to Rachel." Finn said, shooting a pleading look her way. For a moment she looked like she was going to say something to him, but once again Puck beat her to the punch.

"I don't think either of us have anything to say to you." Puck said, a smirk firmly planted on his face. It took every ounce of restraint in Finn's body not to wipe the look of his face with his fists.

"The last time I checked, she got to decide who she said anything to, not you." Finn said, stepping closer.

Rachel sighed, throwing her hands into the air. "Finn's right, I do have a right to talk to whoever I want." She turned her attention to Finn. "I will give you a few minutes, that's all."

Finn knew that though it was small, it was a victory. "Thank you, Rach."

Rachel didn't say anything else to him, instead turning to Puck. "Can you please get me some punch to drink?" She smiled sweetly as Puck turned and walked the other direction, before turning her full attention back to Finn.

Finn smiled uneasily, he'd never actually planned what he had planned to say to Rachel. He knew, though, that if he didn't start saying something she'd walk away. Taking a deep breath, he started talking.

"Rachel, first I want to apologize for hurting you, I had never meant to hurt you in any way. The whole thing started off with Puck running his mouth, and then I became so caught up in everything that was going on that I just kind of went with it. Then I started to find myself liking spending time with you, I actually looked forward to our practice sessions after school. That was when I went to Puck and tried to get out of the bet. I wanted out of it, but he threatened to tell you everything, so I panicked and stayed in the bet."

Rachel looked like she was really listening to what he was saying, which Finn took as a good sign.

"Why didn't you just tell me about the bet?" Rachel asked as Finn stopped to take a breath.

"I don't know. I couldn't handle you knowing that everything between us had started because of a lie, because it felt too real to me." Finn said, looking down at his feet for a second. "And because I knew you would look at me the same way you're looking at me right now."

"And how am I looking at you right now?" Rachel cocked her head slightly to the side.

"Like you're not even sure if you can trust how you feel about me."

Rachel smiled then, a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You know me too well, Finn Hudson."

Finn was about to say something, something about how she had no idea how well he knew her. However, Puck arrived just at that moment with a cup of punch in his hand, tearing Rachel's attention away from him.

"I think we should find a place to sit, so you can put your purse down." Puck said, taking a hold of Rachel's elbow and nodding towards the stage. "The music is about to start."

"Sorry, Finn." Rachel said, turning to leave with Puck. "We'll talk again later. Okay?"

Finn nodded. "Yes, we will."

Finn watched as Puck led Rachel further into the crowd of students that had gathered around them. As soon as he was sure he knew the table she was sitting in he made his way to the stage where Mr. Shue was getting everything set up for the night's entertainment.

The stage was fairly simple, with a few microphone stands set up for the singers. The set-up was much less complicated than Finn had expected, but he was actually glad for that. He only had to sing one song, and it was the first song of the night.

"Hey Finn." Mr. Shue greeted him with a smile and a clap on the shoulder. "Are you ready to woo your girl?"

Finn grinned. He'd given a lot of thought into the song he was going to perform tonight, and whether he was going to play the drums or just keep everything simple. Eventually he'd decided to keep the song as simple as possible, choosing to keep the focus on his message. With a nod he quickly took the stage.

He knew that everyone would be a bit surprised to see him on the stage, since most of the school knew that he'd been all but kicked out of Glee after the whole bet debacle came out. He didn't pay any of them any mind though as he searched out the only person he truly wanted to sing to. As soon as his eyes found hers, the music started. "This one's for you, Rachel. I mean every word."

"Grey ceiling on the earth  
Well, it's lasted for a while  
Take my thoughts for what they're worth  
I've been acting like a child  
And you're opinion, what is that?  
It's just a different point of view

What else, what else can I do?  
I said I'm sorry, yeah I'm sorry  
I said I'm sorry, but what for?  
If I hurt you then I hate myself  
I don't want to hate myself, don't want to hurt you

Why do you choose your pain?  
If you only knew how much I love you  
Love you

I wont be your winter  
And I wont be anyone's excuse to cry  
We can be forgiven  
And I will be here

The old picture on the shelf  
It's been there for a while  
A frozen image of ourselves  
We were acting like a child  
Innocent and in a trance  
A dance that lasted for a while

You read my eyes just like a diary  
Oh remember, please remember  
Well, I'm not a beggar, but what's more  
If I hurt you then I hate myself  
And I don't want to hate myself, don't want to hurt you

Why do you choose that pain?  
If you only knew how much I love you

I wont be your winter  
And I wont be anyone's excuse to cry  
We can be forgiven  
I will be here

I wont be your winter  
And I wont be anyone's excuse to cry  
We can be forgiven  
I will be here."

As the song ended Finn took a deep breath, keeping his eyes locked with Rachel's. Finally he broke contact as he turned to walk off the stage. He wasn't sure what was going to happen now, but he knew he was more than ready to find out.

_**A/N: I'm sorry for the delay in the update. I hope this chapter was worth the wait though. I also hope you liked the song choice I made for Finn. It's Your Winter by Sister Hazel. I first heard the song on 10 Things I Hate About You (LOVE that movie). I thought it was fitting. Next chapter is a bit of Klaine, with the results of the vote! Please review, it makes me happy, happy, happy. Also, you can follow me on Twitter brokenbride88 :)**_


	20. Confusion and Complications

A/N: I had planned on having the rest of this story finished and posted by now, but then everything hit a huge speed bump when I heard of Cory's passing. I hadn't expected his death to affect me as deeply as it did, which is why it's been so hard to write. I've realized, thought, that the best way to keep Finchel alive is to continue writing stories about them. So, though it's been hard, I have finished this story and hope you enjoy the last chapters. :)

* * *

Chapter Twenty - Confusion and Complications

_you found hope, you found faith  
found how fast she could take it away  
found true love, lost your heart  
now you don't know who you are_  
**Even Angels Fall - Jessica Riddle  
**

Blaine wasn't sure what it was about Kurt that made him like him so much, but he sure as hell wanted to find out. They'd been a little late showing up to prom, missing what had apparently been quite the show. Still, they didn't let anything bother them as they busted some serious moves on the dance floor.

That didn't last very long, though, as a sudden tap on Blaine's shoulder drew his attention away from his date. Turning around, he came face to face with an obviously worried Rachel.

"Can I help you, Rach?" He asked, not bothering to stop dancing.

"Did you hear about what happened?" Rachel stood there, not bothering to join in the dancing.

Sighing, Blaine stopped dancing, shooting an apologetic glance towards Kurt as he took Rachel by the arm and led her to a nearby table. "I heard that Finn sang you a song, if that's what you're talking about." He said, sitting down.

"What am I supposed to do?" Rachel said, putting her face into her hands.

Blaine wasn't entirely sure what to say. Finn had really messed everything up, but he'd made it very clear how sorry he was for everything that had happened. If this were happening to him, he'd probably have already forgiven him. This was Rachel, though, and she dealt with everything differently than everyone else.

"This is so confusing." Rachel mumbled through her fingers. "Why did he have to sing that song?"

Blaine reached across the table, pulling Rachel's hands away from her face, looking her in the eyes. "Because that was the only way he knew to reach you. Now, you just have to decide what you're going to do with what he sang to you."

With that said, Blaine went to join Kurt back on the dance floor. It didn't take long to get back into the groove as the two moved together with the music.

They'd been dancing for a few minutes when Mr. Shue came on stage and introduced Rachel for her song.

"I think I've had too much punch." Kurt joked, leaning closer to Blaine to speak to him. "I need to visit the little boys' room."

Blaine laughed at Kurt's choice of words, but nodded his head. "Alright. I'm going to grab a quick snack and then watch Rachel perform her song."

With a slightly awkward hug the two parted. Blaine made his way over to the refreshments just as Rachel took the stage. After grabbing a few small things to snack on he made his way over to his table just as Rachel began singing.

They'd both worked very hard on her song choice, trying to find something that fit with what had been their current predicament. Given recent events, though, the song seemed like less of a perfect choice. Still, Rachel seemed extremely confident as she sang the words.

"I thought I saw a man brought to life  
He was warm, he came around like he was dignified  
He showed me what it was to cry

Well you couldn't be that man that I adore  
You don't seem to know, seem to care  
What you're heart is for  
Well, I don't know him anymore

There's nothing where he used to lie  
Conversation has run dry  
That's what's going on  
Nothing right, I'm torn"

Just as Rachel was getting to the chorus though, Kurt finally arrived back to the table. Blaine smiled, standing up to ask his date to dance. He stopped short, though, as he noticed how out of breath Kurt was.

"Kurt!" Jumping up from his seat, Blaine moved to stand by Kurt, trying to calm him down. "What's wrong?"

Kurt took a few deep breaths, still trying to completely catch his breath. "In the bathroom...Stupid mohawk idiot...Planning on sleeping with Rachel."

"Puck is planning on sleeping with Rachel tonight?" Blaine asked, feeling his temper starting to flare up. Puck really needed to get a clue.

Kurt, still out of breath, nodded his head.

"Does Rachel know about this?" Blaine asked.

Kurt shook his head, finally regaining his composure. "Didn't sound like she knows anything. He was practically shoving his room key in everyone's face, saying that he's going to take her there after they announce the king and queen."

"We'll see about that." Blaine said, turning back to the stage. They were on the outskirts of the crowd, a good distance away. Holding his hand out to Kurt, they started to make their way to the stage.

About halfway through the crowd, Rachel finished her song and Principle Figgins took the stage after she stepped back from the microphone. Blaine and Kurt stopped their procession, waiting to see what the principle had to say.

"Alright, Ladies and Gents, it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for. The announcement of your King and Queen." Figgins paused for some lackluster applause.

Blaine scanned the crowd, trying to find some familiar faces from Glee to help him get to Rachel. He didn't see anyone though, so he turned his attention back to the stage.

"First, your King." Figgins said, taking a fake golden crown from one of the student council helpers on the stage next to him. "Mr. Finn Hudson!"

Blaine watched as Finn took the stage. Even from his spot quite a distance away, he could tell that Finn didn't look happy to win.

"Now, our King needs a Queen." Figgins continued, plucking the tiara from it's pillow. "In the closest race in McKinley High history, I am proud to announce your Prom Queen. Rachel Berry!"

* * *

_A/N: Guess Finn technically won the bet...Next chapter is the last Prom chapter. Please review. :)_


	21. Dancing Around the Subject

Chapter Twenty-One - Dancing Around the Subject

_fate is an elegant, cold-hearted whore  
__she loves salting my wounds  
yes, she enjoys nothing more  
i bleed confidence from deep within my guts now  
i'm the king of this pity party  
with my jewel encrusted crown  
__**Polygraph Right Now - The Spill Canvas  
**_

Rachel couldn't believe what was happening; she'd just been announced as Prom Queen. Somehow the fact didn't quite register until she'd already been halfway to the stage. She looked around quickly as she ascended the steps, checking for hidden buckets of pig's blood or hidden cameras on cue to capture her imminent humiliation. There was nothing to be seen though, and when she stopped to accept her crown, the crowd burst into applause.

"And now our King and Queen will share a dance together." Principle Figgins mumbled into the microphone as Rachel turned to make her way off stage.

She'd forgotten about the queen and king having to dance. Well, there went all of her attempts to avoid Finn Hudson like the plague.

Putting on a smile, Rachel turned around and made her way to the dance floor in front of the stage where Finn was already waiting.

"May I have this dance?" Finn asked, his hand held out towards her. Rachel had to physically stop herself from rolling her eyes at the cheesy line. Still, she placed her hand inside of his and let him lead her onto the dance floor.

It felt like ages before the music started, but once the band started up they started swaying back and forth to the music.

"Well, it looks like you won your bet. You took the school loser and made her into the prom queen. What's your prize?" Rachel couldn't help the bitterness in her voice as she whispered the words to Finn.

"I didn't win anything." Finn sighed. "In fact, I think I lost more than anything."

Rachel wasn't sure what she should say. She'd guessed from the song Finn had sung earlier that he was more than sorry for everything that had happened, but she wasn't even close to being able to forgive him for all that he'd done.

They spent the next few minutes in complete silence, swaying gently from side to side as Tina and Mercedes sang Kiss Me. The song was nearly over when Rachel finally spoke again.

"Why did you pick that song?" Rachel asked, referring to his earlier performance.

Finn smiled, reaching up to brush a piece of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Because it said everything I'm feeling right now."

"You love me?" Rachel asked, the words sticking in her throat, coming out a pitch higher than she'd intended.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Finn asked as the song finally ended.

Neither of them moved as they stared into each other's eyes. Rachel was the first to move though, pulling away and making her way back to the table. She'd only made it a few steps before Finn pulled her back.

"I'm so sorry for everything. I wanted to tell you about the bet, but I knew that if I did that I'd lose you. I wanted to just pretend that the bet didn't even exist, and I thought that if I ignored it, the whole thing would just go away." Finn's words were rushed as he quickly tried to explain himself.

"It didn't go away though; it was always there." Rachel sighed, once again trying to walk away, but Finn's hand kept her firmly in place.

"Rachel, you need to know something about Puck. He's not the good guy he's playing, he's bad news. I don't want you to get hurt." Finn said just as Puck came up to the pair.

"Rachel, are you ready to go?" Puck asked, completely ignoring Finn.

Rachel hesitated. She didn't really want to leave with Puck, but she also wasn't quite ready to have this whole conversation with Finn in the middle of prom. Finally, she gently pulled her hand away from Finn and turned to face Puck.

"Alright, let's go. I need to find Blaine and Kurt first though." Rachel forced a smile as she spoke. She turned her attention back to Finn, "I forgive you, Finn."

Sending Finn a quick smile she turned around and made her way back through the crowd with Puck close behind her.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry, this chapter is a seriously short one. There's one more chapter after this, so everything comes to a conclusion in the next chapter! Please don't forget to hit that little review button and tell me how you feel about everything that's transpired. :)_


	22. Gambling Man

Chapter Twenty-Two - Gambling Man

_and all the roads we have to walk are winding  
and all the lights that lead us there are blinding  
there are many things that i would like to say to you  
but i don't know how_  
**Wonderwall - Oasis  
**

This was it, the last baseball game of Finn's carreer. McKinley had made it to the State Championship, putting them up against the Piedmont Pirates. The game had been a piece of cake, Finn had been pitching the last four innings, and so far he'd pitched what could have been his best game. They were now in the bottom of the ninth, with McKinley up by two runs. They only needed one more out to win the game.

The closer the game came to ending though, the more distracted Finn was becoming. His pitching wasn't affected yet, but he was sure it was just a matter of time. His attention kept being pulled into the stands where a certain small brunette was sitting with her best friend and his own brother.

Shaking his head, and focusing once again on the game, Finn wound his arm up and pitched his signature fast ball. The ball passed over the plate just before the batter took his swing. Strike one.

Puck, who was catching, threw the ball back to him. Finn didn't look Puck in the eye, which Puck didn't seem to mind as he went back into position.

Finn hadn't talked to Puck since Prom. From what he'd heard around school was that Puck had tried to score with Rachel after prom and he'd been turned down quite brutally and very publically. Unfortunately he hadn't been able to talk to Rachel since the prom either.

Getting back into the game, Finn wound back up, throwing a curve ball this time. The batter didn't even try to swing, but the pitch was true. Strike two.

Puck threw the ball back once again. Finn turned the ball over in his hands, taking his time to throw the next pitch.

Finn had been able to talk to Blaine since prom though, which was a big reason as to why he was so anxious for the game to be over. It had taken a lot of convincing from himself and Kurt, but he'd finally been able to win Blaine over. The only problem was that Rachel still didn't seem to want anything to do with him. He was hoping that after today, that wouldn't be an issue anymore.

Anxious to end the game, Finn threw the next pitch, another fast pitch. This time, though, the batter actually connected with the ball. The sharp crack of the bat echoed through the stadium as the ball went soaring into right field.

Finn held his breath as the ball flew through the air, seemingly in slow motion. He watched as the hitter took off towards first base, just before he reached the plate though the ball connected with Mike's glove.

Three outs. McKinley just won the State Championship. The crowd went crazy, the cheers borderline deafening.

The team went through the usual routine, shaking hands with the other team and exchanging the typical "good game" and other pleasantries. As soon as he could get away from the crowd though, Finn made his way quickly to the locker room. He knew the rest of the team wouldn't be changing for a little while, so this was his best chance to get everything ready.

"That was a great game, Finn." Mr. Shue said, clapping him on the back as he made his way into the locker room.

"Thanks Mr. Shue. Is everything set up?" Finn asked, working his way out of his cleets.

"Miss Pillsbury has everything cued up in the stand, we're just waiting for you to get ready." Mr. Shue said. "I just need to give you this." He handed Finn a small item wrapped in a hankerchief.

"Great. I just need to change, and I'll be out there." Finn said with a grin.

It didn't take Finn long to change after Mr. Shue left. He didn't bother taking a shower, even though he clearly needed one. As soon as he pulled his shirt on, he bolted out of the door, running back to the field.

Miss Pillsbury smiled as Finn made his way into the annoucer's stand. "Oh, I can't wait to see what Rachel does when you proclaim your feelings for her in front of all these people." She said, rushing over to Finn. "Everything is ready. As soon as you give me the signal from the pitcher's mound, I'll cue the music."

Finn smiled and unwrapped the package that Mr. Shue had given to him earlier. Inside was a microphone, which he turned on and checked to make sure it was hooked up to the right speakers. Once he was sure everything was in order he made his way back down to the field.

The view from the pitcher's mound was excellent. Rachel was still in the stands with Blaine and Kurt, though she looked as though she were about to leave. There were still quite a lot of people on the field, but he didn't pay them any mind as he kept his sights on Rachel.

His right hand was wrapped around the microphone, his thumb hitting the on switch as he brought the mic up to his mouth.

"Rachel, I know I've said that I'm sorry what feels like a thousand times, but I don't think that I'll ever be able to say those words enough." He watched as Rachel quickly turned her attention from whatever Blaine had been saying, right to him.

"I know that it is going to take you a long time to forgive me for everything that has happened. I just wanted to let you know that I love you, and that I'm not going to give up on having you in my life. Now, you once told me that the best way to express your feelings is through music. And I know I did this silly display already, but I figured I'd give this another shot." Finn smiled as he nodded his head towards the announcer's stand.

The stadium was nearly silent as the music started, but Finn didn't pay any mind to the rest of the crowd. His attention was soley on the petite brunette who was staring back at him with wide eyes.

"I'm not a perfect person  
There's many things I wish I didn't do  
But I continue learning  
I never meant to do those things to you  
And so I have to say before I go  
That I just want you to know

I found a reason for me  
To change who I used to be  
A reason to start over new  
And the reason is you

I'm sorry that I hurt you  
It's something I must live with every day  
And all the pain I put you through  
I wish that I could take it all away  
And be the one who catches all your tears  
That's why I need you to hear

I found a reason for me  
To change who I used to be  
A reason to start over new  
And the reason is you

I'm not a perfect person  
There's many things I wish I didn't do  
But I continue learning  
I never meant to do those things to you  
And so I have to say before I go  
That I just want you to know

I found a reason for me  
To change who I used to be  
A reason to start over new  
And the reason is you

I found a reason to show  
A side of me you didn't know  
A reason for all that I do  
And the reason is you."

Rachel was speechless as Finn finished his song. This was the second time that he'd proclaimed his feelings for her through music, something she found both extremely annoying and completely unnerving. Annoying because there was no way for her ignore his feelings, which were so very well expressed. She'd tried to convince herself that she was still mad at Finn, but the more she tried to convince herself, the harder it was becoming.

"What are you going to do, Rach?" Blaine asked, from her side.

"I don't know." Rachel said, trying to figure out what she should do now. A huge part of her just wanted to throw away all her fears and run onto the field.

"Go." Blaine spoke gently, forever reading her mind.

That was all the encouragement she needed as she made her way down the stands, pushing past the few people who were slowly trying to make their way out of the stadium. As soon as she was on the field, she walked quickly over to Finn who was still standing on the pitcher's mound.

"You have to stop doing that." She said, trying her hardest to make her voice sound angry.

"Stop doing what?" Finn asked, sliding the microphone in his back pocket.

"Making it so hard to hate you. I keep trying and trying, but you just wont let me." Rachel said, letting the anger leave her voice, a smile slowly forming on her face.

Finn, finally realizing that she wasn't angry with him any longer, moved quickly to close the distance between them, reaching up to brush the hair out of her face. "I am so sorry for everything."

"I know." Rachel said simply. "I forgive you."

Finn's smile was bright enough to light the stadium on a moonless night. Rachel couldn't help the matching smile that was forming on her own face.

"You know, you can kiss me if you want to." Rachel whispered to where only Finn could hear her.

Finn's hands reached up to cup her face, bringing her mouth towards his own. "I want to." He whispered as his mouth finally captured her's. The kiss was slow and tentative, neither wanting to make it into any sort of show, ending just as quickly as it started. Finn rested his forehead against her's, staring deeply into her eyes.

Just then the remaining crowd of people in the stadium broke into a round of applause, forcing the two apart as they suddenly remembered that they had an audience.

Rachel laughed as she turned to face the crowd, reaching to grab ahold of Finn's hand as the two gave a quick bow. "What do you say we get out of here?" Rachel's cheeks were a bright shade of red as she turned her attention back to Finn.

Finn nodded as the two quickly made their way out of the stadium and towards the parking lot. He knew that things weren't going to magically be perfect between them, but he also knew that everything would work itself out in time, he would bet on it.

fin.

* * *

_A/N: A big thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited this story. This is the first multi-chapter fic that I've finished in years. Without your support I never would have been able to finish this story. Also, I wanted to say that even though Finchel is no longer going to play a part on Glee, Finchel will live forever in our hearts and in our stories. As will Cory. :)  
_


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